Roasted Pork Leg with Wild Plum Gin and Pecan-Stuffed Apples
Juniper berries perfume the pork, paired with pecan apples and slow-roasted pork leg marinated in wild plum gin.
Ingredients
juniper berries
20
garlic
4 cloves
sugar
2 tsp
free-range pork leg, skin scored
4.1 kg
wild plum gin
100 ml
extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
to taste
small red-skinned apples
10-14
pecan halves (2 per apple)
36-52
boiling stock
50-100 ml
Instructions
1
Marinate the pork
Crush the juniper berries, garlic, and sugar in a mortar. Place the pork leg meat-side down in a large roasting pan and spread the juniper paste over the meat. Flip it over, pour in the wild plum gin, and marinate for up to 24 hours.
2
Roast the pork
Preheat the oven to 220°C (fan 200°C). Rub olive oil over the pork skin, then season with salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes, then lower the temperature to 180°C (fan 160°C).
3
Add the apples
Core the apples, leaving the top 2 cm attached to the stem. Stuff 2 pecan halves into each apple, replace the tops, and arrange them around the pork. Roast together for 40–45 minutes, then remove the apples and set aside. Return all but 2 of the apples to the pan to heat through during the final 10 minutes of cooking.
4
Finish and serve
Roast for another 40 minutes until the pork is fully cooked. Remove and let rest for 10 minutes. Take off the apple tops, chop the 2 reserved apples, and puree them in a food processor. Stuff 2 more pecan halves into each remaining apple. Pour off the excess fat from the roasting pan, then return the pan to the heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the stock to make a thick gravy. Season to taste and serve with the crispy pork crackling and pecan-stuffed apples on the side, with thick slices of pork, gravy, and apple puree presented separately.
