Aromatic Pork Neck Roast or Pulled Pork Cretan (Minoan) Style
This tender slow-roasted pork neck is packed with flavour from honey, brown sugar, garlic and fresh herbs. A deliciously caramelised onion and honey crust adds a wonderful sweet and savoury touch, while slow cooking makes the pork incredibly juicy and tender. Perfect for a hearty roast or delicious pulled pork.
Equipment
- 1 Large bowl or pot for marinating
- Measuring spoons and cups
- 1 Large casserole/Dutch oven with lid
- 1 Blender or food processor
- cutting board
- Sharp kitchen knife
- wooden spoon or spatula
- Kitchen tongs
- Paper towels
- Fine-mesh sieve
- Spoon for removing excess fat
- Meat thermometer (recommended)
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 heaped Tbsp brown sugar
- 4 Tbsp. honey
- 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) boneless pork neck
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 fresh branch of each: rosemary, thyme and coriander, plus sage if desired
For the crust:
- 1 medium onion
- 4 Tbsp of honey
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- some chopped fresh leaves of rosemary, thyme, coriander and (optional) sage
- Salt
- Pepper
For cooking:
- 1 carrot
- 1 small piece of celery root
- some olive oil to fry
- 1 glass of dry red wine
- 1 cup of water
Instructions
Prepare the marinade
- Mix the salt, brown sugar and 4 Tbsp. of honey with 6 cups of lukewarm water and stir until dissolved. Let cool.
- In a large pot or bowl add the meat and the water. Cut the garlic in halves and add together with 1-2 branches of fresh rosemary, thyme and sage. Cover and let marinate for 1-2 days in the fridge. The meat should be covered by the marinade. If necessary add some more cold water. Turn the meat in the marinade 2-3 times
Prepare the crust
- In a blender combine the coarsely cut onion with the olive oil and 4 Tbsp. of honey and blend until pasty. Chop some fresh rosemary, thyme and sage coarsely and stir under the onion paste.
Cooking instructions
- Preheat the oven at 150-160ºC (300–320°F).
- Remove the meat from the marinade and dry with some paper towel. Salt and pepper from all sides. Rub the onion-herb mixture all over the meat. Clean the carrot and the celery root and cut in halves.
- In a casserole heat some olive oil and fry the pork meat from all sides. Add the carrot and the celery root. Deglaze with the wine and 1 cup of water.
- Cover and let cook on air for minimum 4-5 hours in the preheated oven. After 3 hours remove the lid and let cook the remaining hours. Appr. every 20 minutes pour over from the broth that has formed in the casserole.
- Let rest the meat for appr. 15 minutes before cutting. Sieve the broth in a cup and carefully remove as much of the oil from the top as possible with the help of a spoon. You can use it as sauce if you want to serve the meat as a roast or mix it under the pulled pork to be juicy.