if you're a real crackling glutton you can get extra couenne from most butchers. Locally we have a dish of white haricot beans slow cooked with tomato sauce and couenne. The couenne becomes melting and gelatinous. Delicious. If you can find it on the web, Stella Atterbury's "Leave it to Cook" published in the 1960's by Penguin is a mine of info on slow cooking.
Thanks James and Brian now we know what to ask for.
Ditto James. Our regular market butcher takes our order a week ahead so that we get it that way.
Some great and mouthwatering responses here, thanks. I will be trying an overnight or all day roasting at 80 with a hot beginning and end for my next roast :)
You can ask your butcher to leave it on. It's called couenne in French, he/she will look at you like you're an alien but you'll get your crackling!
Problem we've found is buying pork with the fat still on it to make crackling. Anyone else had the same problem?
Hmmmm food for thought! I will let you know how I get on when I do it. ! Thanks guys.
Yum!
I let venison sit with a good coating of olive oil & herbs for 24 hours then salt & pepper it & roast it at 180° for a couple of hours turning & basting every quarter of an hour - a bit time consuming but it does come out very moelleux! I completely agree about the letting it sit before carving - applies to all meat.
For starters I am JEALOUS. This is a serious hunting area but getting any venison out of them... The less said, the better.
I had a butcher in Suffolk who sold me venison (among other things) all year round. We occasionally had a gigot (Scots adopted that word instead of chump, shank or haunch). Spike it with fat from bacon to compensate for the meat's leanness. Cook it on the bone to keep flavour and succulence. A a complete gigot of adult roe deer will weigh 2–2.5kg, allow for bones of course, is about right for six to eight people. Red deer can be up to about 12kg, too big for me, I have had a smallish 5kg something and it was difficult.
Cook the gigot at 220° for about 20 minutes, then 150° for 10 minutes per 500g if you want it medium-rare or 15 minutes per 500g if you prefer medium to well-done. If you have a slow cooking possibility such as a wood stove, then you can go for 80°for 20 minutes per 500g for medium-rare up to 30 minutes for well done. Put more bacon fat on it to do that, perhaps even the fat and skin from a pork joint laid on top even. There is a risk if drying it out otherwise. Either method, rest it in a warm place for 20–30 minutes before carving.
Venison is lovely. With practice it become a dream meat, knocks spots off beef any day and being less fatty that prime lamb (which I love) is superb.
PS. I used to get boar from the same butcher which is leaner than a joint of pork but treated the same except putting bacon or pork fat on it for roasting.
Any ideas for a gigot of venison? I'm sure I should e able to slow roast it but cant find a recipe any where!
I froze the leftovers and used them for burritos.
I do bone in beef rib roast at 90c until the internal temperature reaches 59c. Then rest it for a good 20-30 minutes before carving.
Sear the outside before you start, purely for aesthetics.
This is in Australia though, where it seems the beef cuts are a little more reliable.
I’ll let you know when I’ve had a go with a French cut.
I use the same Nigella method as Steve (30 minutes at 250° at start & finish, on a trivet, skin-side up, turn it over for the long haul at 80°) it works fabulously - as there are lots of us and huge shoulders of pig are cheap it is a regular supper with a gratin dauphinois & a salad (& the next day you stir the left-overs around in a wok with a bit of garlic & black bean sauce & chopped spring onion & feast all over again)
We occasionally do a large piece like you James, but never as ambitious as Steve. Start with a good 250° in the electric oven then over to the wood burner (Rayburn) for a steady 100° to 110° (although overnight it might slip down to 80° or even less for three or four hours. Leave it in from one day to the next so that after 20-22 hours it comes out of the slow roast to be finished (for the crackling to have a nice crunch) at 250°.
We both do it. What is inexplicable is when Antonella does it the end result is different to mine even if we do more or less the same roasting time. The one real difference is that I give it a good coat of honey and she gives it an Italian coating, the secret of which she has never (yet) divulged. Both though let the bone slip out to be put in a pot of hot water to get the remaining marrow flavour into the sauce (sorry folk, we do not do 'gravy' with anything, far more Mediterranean here).
I once did a 8Kg shoulder of pork for New Year following a recipe from Nigella (pre her caricature days). That was done over 24 hours at 80°C with a roasting at 250°C at start and finish. Was really excellent. Bone pulled out all cleanly and crackling was to die for.
Wouldn’t even bother doing them in the oven nowadays, get your BBQ out, get some coals on one side and put the joint on the other with a tray of water under it, try and maintain about 140-160’ temp on the BBQ by adjusting your flaps and adding more coals and water over about 7-8 hours, once you have had propper slow and low BBQ pork, anything cooked in an oven will just disapoint
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1.6kg shoulder of pork from the neck end, bone in
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp dark muscovado sugar
1 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tsp liquid smoke (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 220C. Line a roasting tin with sheets of foil big enough to fold over the top of the pork, then pat the meat dry with a paper towel and add it to the tin. Mix together the salt, sugar and paprika and rub about half into the meat.
- Put the pork into the hot oven for about 40 minutes until well browned, then take out and turn down the heat to 125C. Pour the liquid smoke over the pork if using, then fold the foil over the top to make a sealed parcel. Put back in the oven and cook for about 6–7 hours, until the internal temperature measures 89C and it’s soft enough to spoon. Pour off the juices and reserve.
- Turn the heat back up to 220 and cook the pork, uncovered, for 10 minutes to crisp up. Take out, cover with a tent of foil, and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
- Use two forks, or your fingers to pull into shreds, cutting up the crackling too, and then add the rest of the seasoning, and any meat juices from the tin, and stir in.
Pork from the leg end does not slow roast well. Not enough fat running through the meat. Timings dont seem to run per kilo wise if you are working with a small joint Big joints which are best for pulled pork and 1 hour/500g seems to be about right. Pulled pork freezes well so you could do a bigger joint and freeze the left overs.
Hope this is helpful.
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I use one of these, it is a multi use system so pressure cooker, rice cooker, slow cooker etc etc. I use it mostly as a slow cooker, throwing in meat, veg, herbs and wine. Leave it for upto 24hrs on low and serve. I do bean stews, chilli, pulled pork, ribs, steak pie fillings and soups without any problems. I think it will serve up to 12 people, I say this because it will make enough for 4 days food for three.
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