Winter is well and truly here and with it comes my favorite cooking season. Ask my wife and she’ll tell you I go a little crazy around this time and almost everything in our house must be cooked low and slow. First my disclaimer, I’m not a mathlete or a particularly good time keeper so amounts, measures and times may vary, I learnt by trial and error and usually adhere to the rule of never cook without a glass of vino. So the moral is to taste, taste, taste! Unfortunately another side effect to this is I often forget to take a pretty picture which is exactly what happened with this first recipe. Secondly I’m a stirrer and prodder and I just have to know what’s going on inside the pot so these new fangled slow cookers just don’t work for me just a good old fashioned cast iron casserole pot instead. Thirdly music, the right music for the right dish! A Sunday arvo slow cook with Curtis Mayfeild, Al Green and Billy Holliday will taste a lot different to the one you invited David Lee Roth, Bruce Dickenson and Lemmy to! Lastly enjoy with good vino and people you love.
What you'll need:
1 bottle of 2011 Kilikanoon Killerman’s Run Shiraz Grenache for drinking whilst cooking
1 Bottle of 2009 Scwharz Thiele Road Grenache for drinking with Chili
1kg Pork Shoulder (cut into fist size pieces)
1 Onion diced
2 Fresh Chilies (more if you want it hotter)
1 Star Anise
Cumin seeds
Coriander seeds
Dried Chili
Fennel Seeds
1 Cinnamon Quill
Chili powder
1 tbsp Tomato paste
Bay Leaf
Salt
Cracked Pepper
Olive oil
Chicken stock
Fresh limes
1 Bunch Coriander
What to do with it all:
Toast cumin, coriander, dried chili and fennel seeds on med heat then grind fine.
Heat an excessively large drizzle of olive oil in a cast iron casserole pot and seal pork till brown on all sides then set aside in a bowl
Heat a little more olive oil in the same pot and cook onion till soft along with the fresh chili and star anise
Return pork and juices to the pot along with spice mix, cinnamon, tomato paste, bay leaves and chili powder (amount determined by your fear)
Add Chicken stock till pork is just covered (stir up all crusty goodness from bottom of the pan)
Bring to the boil then reduce to a ssslllooowww simmer for around 3 12 hours. (take into account math’s not my strong point basically keep checking till pork is melty and falling apart).
Remove pork and shred
Take this chance to bring sauce up to boil and reduce if necessary.
Return pork and lightly season, drop heat for another 15mins
Serve in a crisp iceberg lettuce cup with a squeeze of lime some fresh coriander and a few drops of the old hot sauce if you like it like the late great Robert Palmer.
Add some guacamole and ole!