Ingredients
2.5-3kg Pork loin with rind intact for crackling
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons iodised table salt or 1 tablespoon sea salt flakes
2 rashers of middle bacon
Kitchen twine
FOR THE STUFFING
1 jar Beerenberg Boxing Day Chutney + an extra jar to serve with roast pork
2 brown onion, finely diced
2 green apples, peeled and grated
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tablespoons chopped sage (or rosemary and thyme)
100 grams salted butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup stale sourdough bread, torn into small pieces
Salt and pepper
TO SERVE
1 bunch Cavallo Nero
400 grams cherry tomatoes on the vine
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
½ cup sage leaves (optional – these can be fried in olive oil in advance)
Directions
First prepare the stuffing. Melt butter in a frying pan and add diced onion and a pinch of salt. sauté until soft and translucent. Add garlic and apple and sauté for a further minute. Transfer to a bowl and mix in Beerenberg Boxing Day Chutney, chopped sage, bread, cracked pepper and egg. Mix well and set aside.
For extra crispy crackling prepare the pork a day ahead and leave uncovered in the fridge to cure the rind.
To prepare the pork remove any kitchen twine it came with. Place on a rack over a sink, skin side up and blanch with boiling water. Pat dry and transfer to a completely dry chopping board. Score the skin/rind.
Place the pork on the board skin side down. Slice through the part of the meat approximately 2 inches above the skin, stopping 2 inches from the other side of the meat, roll this out and continue cutting along this line until you have one long, large flat piece of meat.
Place the stuffing evenly along the end and carefully roll the meat towards the skin end so that the stuffing is completely encased. Tie with kitchen string to secure at even intervals along the roll. At each end where the stuffing is exposed, place a rasher of bacon to cover the hole and secure with kitchen twine. Place in a baking tray skin side up.
For extra crispy crackling, place uncovered in the fridge for up to 24-36 hours or until using.
To cook, preheat oven to 230 degrees Celsius fan forced. Place your oven rack in the centre of the oven.
Rub olive oil all over the pork skin and sprinkle evenly with salt.
Place in the preheated oven for 30 minutes before reducing the temperature to 160 degrees fan forced.
Roast for a further 60 minutes. Check the pork at this stage to make sure the rind isn’t burning. If it is cover loosely with foil before cooking for a further 30 minutes. If it isn’t, leave uncovered.
Remove from oven, change the setting to fan grill and for the last 10 minutes blast the pork to crisp up the crackling. This final step may not be necessary depending on your oven.
Allow to rest, uncovered in a warm place for 15 minutes while you prepare the vegetables.
Drizzle the cherry tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper and place in the oven at 180 degrees for 12-15 minutes until just cooked and gently blistered.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on a pan with salt and sauté the Cavallo Nero until it wilts.
Remove kitchen twine, carve pork into 1–2-inch slices and serve with vegetables, fried sage leaves and extra Beerenberg Boxing Day Chutney.
NOTES
The stuffing can be made a day ahead, just leave out the egg and mix in just before using.
If you don’t use all the stuffing mixture in the pork roll, bake the rest for the last 30 minutes of the cook in foil lined with baking paper.
If you aren’t able to place the pork back in the fridge for 24-36 hours even 2-6 hours in the fridge with help the rind develop a crunchier crackling.
Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your pork roll. Add 25 minutes per 500 grams for a larger roll or subtract 25 minutes per 500 grams for a smaller roll.
The internal temperature of the roast should reach 65 degrees Celsius on a meat thermometer.
For the fired sage leaves carefully heat 500ml vegetable oil in a small, deep saucepan and fry until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towel until using.
