Hog Roast with Apple Sauce and Buns

• Pork

• 1.8 to 2kg boneless pork shoulder, skin on
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp MSG
• (REST)
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed
• 250 ml dry apple cider
• 380 ml chicken stock
• 2 onions, thickly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• A few sprigs of thyme, rosemary and sage
• 2 fennel bulbs. quartered
• 3 carrots. halved
• 2 onions, quartered

• Apple Sauce

• 5 large cooking apples, peeled, & chopped
• 150 ml dry apple cider
• 40 g soft light brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon + 1 tbsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• Pinch of salt
• Squeeze of lemon juice

• Buns

• 500 g strong white bread flour
• 5 g dried yeast
• 30 g caster sugar
• 8 g fine sea salt
• 300 ml whole milk, lukewarm
• 1 large egg
• 50 g salted butter, very soft

• To top

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tbsp milk
• Sesame seeds, optional
• Melted butter, for brushing

Method ✨

1. 1

   Pat the pork skin completely dry. Rub the skin with the olive oil and plenty of salt and msg. Leave overnight in the fridge.

2. 2

   Heat the oven to 220 °C / 200 °C fan. Scatter the veggies and herbs into a roasting tin. Sit the pork on top, skin side up.

3. 3

   Roast for 30 minutes at the high heat to get the crackling started. Pour the cider and chicken stock around the pork, taking care not to pour it over the skin. Turn the oven down to 160 °C / 140 °C fan and roast for around 4- 5 hours, until the pork is completely tender and pulls apart easily. You can cover with foil if browning too fast. Top up with extra stock and or cider as it cooks.

4. 4

   If the crackling needs a final boost, remove from the pork joint, place into a baking tray and turn the heat back up to 220 °C / 200 °C fan for 25-30 minutes.

For the apple sauce

5. 5

   Add all the ingredients together into a pot. Cook gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples have completely softened. Mash to your preferred texture, then finish with a squeeze of lemon juice.

6. 6

   Pull the pork apart with two forks or a serated knife.

7. 7

   (How to make buns & sauce in comments)