Sardinian-Style Porceddu: Myrtle & Fennel Slow-Roast Pork Shoulder

⏱ 330 min · Serves 8

A home-oven homage to Sardinia's famous spit-roast suckling pig. A bone-in pork shoulder is rubbed with wild fennel, rosemary and juniper, roasted low and slow until it collapses, then blasted hot so the skin shatters like glass. Serve on myrtle branches if you can get them, or just with a squeeze of lemon and a glass of Cannonau.

Per serving: 642 kcal · 54.0g protein · 2.0g carbs · 46.0g fat

Ingredients

• 3 kg bone-in pork shoulder, skin on and scored
• 3 tbsp coarse sea salt
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed
• 1 tbsp dried wild fennel fronds (or 2 tbsp fresh fennel tops, chopped)
• 2 tbsp rosemary leaves, chopped
• 10 juniper berries, crushed
• 1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 250 ml dry white wine (Vermentino is ideal)
• 250 ml water
• 2 lemons, halved
• Handful of myrtle sprigs or extra rosemary, to serve

Method

1. The night before, pat the pork completely dry. Mix the sea salt, fennel seeds, dried fennel, rosemary, juniper and pepper. Rub 2/3 of it all over the flesh and into the score marks, and the rest firmly over the skin. Leave uncovered in the fridge overnight to dry the skin.
2. Next day, take the pork out 1 hour before cooking. Heat the oven to 150C fan / 170C conventional.
3. Tuck the garlic slices and bay leaves into the score marks on the underside. Sit the pork skin-side up on a rack in a deep roasting tin. Pour the wine and water into the tin (not over the skin) and drizzle the flesh sides only with 2 tbsp oil.
4. Roast for 4 hours, topping up the tin with a splash of hot water if it ever runs dry. Do not baste the skin.
5. Check the meat is meltingly tender: a skewer should slide in with no resistance and the bone should wiggle freely. If not, give it another 30-45 minutes.
6. Lift the pork onto a clean tray. Pat the skin dry, rub with the last 1 tbsp oil and a little extra salt. Turn the oven up to 240C fan / 260C conventional.
7. Return the pork to the top of the oven for 15-25 minutes, turning the tray, until the skin has puffed and crackled all over. Watch it closely in the last 5 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, skim the fat from the tin juices and reduce them in a small pan to a glossy few spoonfuls. Char the lemon halves cut-side down in a dry pan.
9. Rest the pork 20 minutes. Crack off the crackling in shards, pull the meat into rough chunks, pile onto a board strewn with myrtle or rosemary, spoon over the juices and squeeze the charred lemon on top.