Puled Pork with Caramelised Apples & Sage

Top Lazy Tip  - Quick Crackling 

Remove the rind (skin) before cooking the pork.  Place the rind in a shallow roasting tin and pour over boiling water. Leave for a few minutes, then pour off the water and pat dry with kitchen paper. Rub with a little oil and salt. Cook in the hot oven for about 30 minutes until crackled. Roughly chop the crackling into small pieces to serve.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1.6 kg joint boneless pork shoulder (remove the rind/skin if you wish)
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp dried sage
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 3 red onions, halved

• 6 eating apples, such as Braeburn
• 25 g butter
• 25 g soft brown sugar

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 220°C (fan 200°C), Gas Mark 7. Line a roasting tin with a sheet of foil large enough to cover the pork later. Loosely fold the foil back for now. Remove the string, unroll the pork, pat dry with kitchen paper and place in the tin. 
2. Mix together the salt, pepper, onion powder, sage and sugar. Rub the mix lovingly all over the pork.  Roll the pork up again (there is no need to re-tie the string) and put it in the oven for 15 minutes until beautifully browned.
3. Turn the oven down to a laid-back 150°C (fan 130°C), Gas Mark 2. Remove the pork, add the onions to the bottom of the tin and fold the foil over the top. Put it back into the oven and let it cook lazily for at least 5 hours or until tender and ready to pull apart. Make the most of your chilling time.
4. Take the pork out of the oven, cover with foil and let it rest for 30 minutes.
5. While the pork is taking it easy prepare the caramelised apples. Core and cut the apples in half, melt the butter in a large frying pan and stir in the sugar. Add the apples, cut side down and cook over a medium heat, gently shaking the pan occasionally for about 8 minutes or until the apples are lightly caramelised. Squeeze over the lemon juice and then carefully turn the apples over. Cover the pan with foil and cook for about 4-5 minutes or until the apples have softened, but not collapsed. Turn the apples over again to coat in the mixture. 
6. Shred the pork (in the cooking juices) into chunky pieces with two forks and serve with the apples, onions and crackling. Such a feast, so little effort.