Long time cooking, less time prepping

I am a BIG fan of slow cooked meats. There is so little effort involved with prep & clean up, but the outcome is delicious - not to mention versitile. One cut of meat can give you so many different options & my favorite is defintely pork shoulder. From a traditional roast, to fajitas, carnitas and heartwarming stews you can make any meal to fit your mood.

Recently made a dish similar to carnitas, but seeing as the pork is usually cooked in lard I can’t really call it that! The pork can take hours to cook, but there is so little prep time it is effortless. 

Ingredients

1kg - 1.5kg pork shoulder

2 sticks celery

1 small leek

1 white onion

1 lime

Chicken or veg stock - the amount depends upon the size & shape of your pot, but you will need enough to nearly cover the whole joint

1tbs cumin

Handfull of mint

Handfull of coriander 

1tbs brown sugar

Pre-heat your oven to 125 degrees. Add the pork, vegetables & stock to a pot that is oven proof. Bring up to the boil on the hob & put in the oven with the lid on for 5 hours. 

In this time you can prep any sides, I like a simple onion relish - simply chop a white onion and a bunch of coriander together & squeeze a lime over the top. Crisp & fresh and compliments the pork. A sliced avocado & chili also gives the dish a little something extra if you fancy it but I woukdn’t prep that yet to stop the avocado from browning!

Check the pork on occasion to check it isn’t drying out, but not too often as it will prolong the cooking time if the oven keeps cooling down as you open it. After 5 hours check to see if your pork is tender & ‘flaky’ & move from the pot to an oven dish. Turn the oven temperature up high to 225 degrees. Pull apart and add the cumin, sugar & a little water from the pot. Mix together well and add back to the oven for half an hour until there are some crispy bits, if it dries out quickly just add a little more of the water from the pot.

When ready add the fresh herbs & squeeze a fresh lime over the top & you are good to go! If you like heat no one would stop you if a chili got chopped over the top as well!

Serve with warm tortillas, and anything like onion relish guacamole, tomatos, salad etc. 

**Lucys tip - save the water the pork has been cooked in for a good stock!