Twice-cooked pork scotch

This is the perfect way to ensure moist, flavoursome meat: cooking the pork scotch once in an aromatic stock, then finishing it over coals. Ask your butcher in advance for pork scotch with skin on. For maximum flavour, rest the pork overnight in the stock.

• serves

  6

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

1 large onion, halved

6 garlic cloves

2 star anise

1 cinnamon quill

1 tbsp allspice berries, lightly crushed

2 kg pork scotch, rind on, scored

buttered chat potatoes, garlic-spiked mushrooms and steamed greens, to serve

Instructions

Place 2 litres water, 2 tbsp salt, onion, garlic and spices in a large saucepan over high heat and bring to the boil. Add the pork and return to the boil. Reduce heat to low, then cover and simmer for 3 hours or until pork is tender.

Cool, then refrigerate pork overnight in the stock and remove from fridge 30 minutes before needed. (Or, if you are short on time, remove pork from stock after cooking and cool slightly.) Strain and reserve stock for another use; it freezes in an airtight container for up to 3 months and is a great base for noodle soups.

Preheat a covered, kettle-style barbecue to medium. Cook pork, skin-side up, with the lid down, turning occasionally, for 25 minutes. Lift lid and cook for a further 15 minutes or until heated through and skin is crisp. (Or, preheat oven to 240°C and roast pork in a roasting pan with a rack for 45 minutes.)

Carve pork and serve with the vegetables.

As seen in Feast magazine, Issue 8, pg37.

Photography by Alan Benson.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.