Recipes

Braised pork neck with crispy pig’s ears and cider cloud

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Ingredients

Brine for the pork neck

  • •
    1kg pork neck
  • •
    1L water
  • •
    300g rock salt
  • •
    1 lemon, cut in quarters
  • •
    100g juniper berries
  • •
    50g star anise
  • •
    Bunch of thyme
  • •
    5 bay leaves

Crispy pig’s ears

  • •
    1 pig’s ear
  • •
    1L water
  • •
    Pinch of salt
  • •
    ½ cup of vegetable oil

Braised pork neck

  • •
    Brined pork neck
  • •
    2 carrots, diced
  • •
    2 brown onions, diced
  • •
    1 leek, diced
  • •
    3 litre of good quality chicken stock
  • •
    1 bunch of thyme
  • •
    3 bay leaves
  • •
    20g fennel seeds
  • •
    20g cardamom

Caramelised apples

  • •
    400g caster sugar
  • •
    300ml red wine vinegar
  • •
    160ml of apple juice
  • •
    160ml of good quality dry apple cider
  • •
    1 granny smith apple, cored and cut into eighths

Cider Cloud

  • •
    10 leaves of titanium gelatine
  • •
    1L of dry apple cider
  • •
    1 granny smith apple grated
  • •
    1 cinnamon quill

Lemon balm oil

  • •
    Bunch of lemon balm
  • •
    100ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Additional serving ingredients

  • •
    1 fennel bulb, finely sliced
  • •
    Punnet of baby radish leaves

Method

  1. 1.
    Brine for the pork neck: Place all ingredients for the brine in a large stock pot and bring to the boil and take off the heat. Once temperature has reduced to luke warm, add the pork neck and leave to rest in the fridge for at least an hour but better to be left overnight.
  2. 2.
    Crispy pig’s ears: Bring the water to the boil, add the salt and then the pig’s ear. Reduce heat and simmer the pig’s ear for one hour until tender. Once tender remove from the water and let cool. Once cold, julienne the ear and set aside for frying.
  3. 3.
    Braised pork neck: Preheat your oven to 150°C. Take a large pot and add some olive oil and sauté the diced vegetables. Remove the pork neck from the brining water and pat dry. Add the pork neck to the pot and cover with chicken stock. Add the herbs and spices and bring to the boil. Place a lid on the pot and cook the neck in the oven for at least 4 hours or until juicy and tender. If necessary, add water to the pot if the fluid evaporates too quickly. Once cooked, remove the pork neck from the pot, and strain the cooking liquid with a fine sieve. Discard the vegetables, herbs and spices and evenly distribute the remaining cooking liquid into two pots. Reduce one pot’s liquid by half for the reheating of the pork neck. Reduce the second pot to a consistency for a nice, rich jus. This is approximately 3-4cm left of the cooking liquid. Once the pork has cooled, portion evenly to 4-6 even portions.
  4. 4.
    Caramelised apples: Place sugar and vinegar in a pot and heat to 175°C. Then add apple juice and apple cider. Reduce by half and remove from heat. Add apple slices and leave to cool in the caramel.
  5. 5.
    Cider cloud: Place gelatine in a bowl of cold water to soften and then in a KitchenAid mixing bowl with the whisk attachment. Place apple cider, cinnamon and grated apple in a pot and bring to the boil. Reduce by half. Strain this mixture and whilst hot, slowly add to mixing bowl whilst mixing on high. Cover with a tea towel whilst mixing. Turn off mixer when a consistency similar to a white, fluffy cloud.
  6. 6.
    Lemon balm oil: Add lemon balm to a blender with the EVOO and process until only just pureed.
  7. 7.
    To serve: Add the pork neck to the half-reduced liquor to reheat. Remove neck and place on the plate and drizzle over the jus and then follow with the lemon balm. Add the caramelised apple slices to the plate and flake over the fennel slices. Add the baby herbs and crispy pig’s ear on top of the pork. (Julienned pigs ears to be fried until crisp and drained on kitchen paper.) To finish, place a large spoonful of the cloud offside to the pork, the cloud will slowly melt to add to the sauce.