Slow-roast pork rolls with apple chilli chutney

Contains pork – recipe is for non-Muslims only
Don’t stint on the cooking time – it really is the key to meltingly soft, full-flavoured meat

  • Prep:15 mins
    Cook:6 hrs
  • Serves 8
  • Easy

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 714
  • fat 41g
  • saturates 15g
  • carbs 22g
  • sugars 21g
  • fibre 2g
  • protein 66g
  • salt 1.31g

Ingredients

  • 2½ kg/5lb 8oz pork shoulder joint, scored and tied (we used a tied carvery joint from Waitrose, bone in one end and rolled and tied at other end)
  • 2 tsp thyme leaves
  • 1 tsp fennel seed
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • buttered soft bread rolls, to serve
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 1-2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 4 eating apples, peeled, cored and cut into small chunks
  • 4 tbsp cider vinegar
  • 4 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 thyme sprig, leaves picked

Tip

Our downloadable chutney labels

Download our printable preserves labels – perfect for writing cook’s notes and gift messages. You can find them here.

Method

  1. Heat oven to 240C/220C fan/gas 9. Sit the pork in a large roasting tin. If the skin isn’t already scored for you, score it with a small, sharp knife. Mix together the thyme, fennel seeds, oil and 1 tsp salt with a good grinding of black pepper. Rub this over the top and ends of the pork. Roast for 30 mins, then cover the whole tin with a large sheet of foil, reduce the oven temperature to 140C/120C fan/gas 1 and return the pork to the oven for a further 5 hrs.

  2. While the pork is cooking, make the chutney. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Soften the onion and chilli together for 10-15 mins. Once soft, stir in the apple chunks, vinegar and sugar with 50ml water. Cover and cook over a low heat for 15-20 mins, stirring occasionally, until the apple is very soft. Blitz half the apple mixture with a hand blender, or scoop half into a food processor and whizz until smooth, before stirring back into the pan with the leaves from the thyme sprig.

  3. Take the pork from the oven – the meat should be very tender – and increase the temperature to 240C/220C fan/gas 9. When the oven has reached temperature, discard the foil and put the pork back in for 30 mins to crisp up the skin a little. For really crisp crackling, remove the skin from the meat, wrap the meat in foil to keep warm, and return only the skin to the oven for 30 mins. Use a couple of forks to shred the pork from the joint. Sandwich in soft buttered rolls with apple chilli chutney, warm or at room temperature. Serve with pieces of crisp crackling on the side.

Suggested recipes from this collection...