'Cider Pig' is not so much a recipe as a process. It came about during a weekend of unseasonable warmth, which coupled with a cider festival, meant that the pub and somewhat optimistically named beer garden were at full capacity, and I found myself at the end of a busy Saturday with a pork shoulder sitting untouched in the fridge that had to find its way onto the board the next morning. The obvious and simple solution was to use a few pints of the abundant cider, and slowly braise the shoulder overnight. Here's how:
Based on approximate 3kg piece of meat,
Pork shoulder, ideally on the bone (for flavour), skin removed for crackling
A couple of pints of medium to sweetish cider, the more 'farmyardy' the better
An onion and head of garlic, halved
Some or all of the following: star anis, cinnamon bark, black cardamom, sage, thyme, rosemary, oregano
Heat a tray just large enough to hold the meat to a searing intensity, and rub the pork with a little oil and plenty of salt. Lay the meat in the tray, and let it sizzle and brown, turning carefully to ensure as much colour as possible. This not only gives the sauce it's rich dark colour, it gives a roasted flavour to what is essentially a slow braise, and a few nubs of blackened char are ideal. Charring the cut faces of the onion at the same time also helps, but is not essential.
Once everything is glistening, browned, and smelling delicious, tip in the cider. The shoulder should be partially submerged, with whatever aromatic ingredients you've selected bobbing alongside. To borrow Fergus Henderson's analogy, like an 'alligator in a swamp'. Cover everything tightly in foil, and place in a very low oven, for six to eight hours. This is a recipe that is perfectly suited for the slow cooker, which will achieve the same results.
When the pork is cooked, it should be soft enough to push a wooden spoon through, so carefully lift it from the liquid and allow to cool sufficiently to remove the bone, which should already be falling out. Sieve the liquid, and push the gloopy innards of the garlic through the sieve like a paste. You will need to skim quite a bit of fat, and the best way to do this is to boil the liquid off centre on a burner, so that it bubbles on one side, and the fat collects adjacent to the convection current. You can then reduce the liquid, and/or thicken it with corn flour, arrowroot, or even gravy granules. There is no shame in adding commercial gravy to a liquid, so long as that liquid is not water.
That is basically it. We roll the pork and set it in cling film, to make presentation and portioning easier, but this is by no means essential. Simmered in its braising liquid, it is an easy way to do pork sandwiches for numerous guests, and has the added benefit of making its own gravy. It can be used as much as a meat ragu for pasta, as for a Sunday lunch. Use wine instead of cider, add tomatoes and leeks; as I said, this is more a process than a recipe, and if I had one meal that I thought could convince home cooks to purchase a slow cooker, this would be it.
