Fresh Neck of Pork

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 12 by 16-inch (30 by 40 cm) roasting pan with low sides
• •Instant-read meat thermometer
• •Kitchen twine
• •Potato ricer or food mill
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Small saucepan

Instructions

1. 1

   Tie and season

   Take the pork from the cold thirty minutes before roasting. Heat the oven to 450°F (230°C) with a rack in the lower third. Tie the roast at 1½-inch (4 cm) intervals so its thickness is even, then dry it thoroughly. Season every surface with 2½ teaspoons of the fine salt and all the pepper, and rub it with 3 tablespoons of softened butter. Spread the onions, carrots, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf in a snug roasting pan and settle the pork on top, fat side up.

   A snug pan protects the drippings. In a pan much larger than the roast, the juices spread thinly and burn before there is enough liquid for basting.
2. 2

   Roast and baste

   Roast at 450°F (230°C) for 20 minutes, until the surface begins to bronze. Lower the oven to 325°F (165°C) and pour 1 cup of the hot water around the meat, never over its crust. Continue roasting for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, basting every 20 minutes with the buttery pan juices. Add the remaining hot water a little at a time whenever the pan approaches dryness. If the crust darkens too quickly, cover only that dark patch loosely with foil. If the fond has already blackened, move the pork and unburned vegetables to a clean pan and continue with fresh hot water; don't scrape bitterness into the jus. The roast is ready at 180 to 185°F (82 to 85°C), when a skewer enters without rubbery resistance and the seams feel yielding.

   The temperature is higher than the minimum needed for pork safety because this is neck, not loin. The extra heat softens its connective tissue and renders the internal fat.
3. 3

   Cook the potatoes

   During the final forty minutes of roasting, put the potatoes in a saucepan and cover them by 1 inch (2.5 cm) with cold water. Add the coarse salt, bring to a gentle boil, then lower the heat and simmer until a knife passes through the centres without resistance, about 20 minutes. Drain thoroughly and return them to the dry pan over low heat for a minute, shaking gently, until their surfaces look floury. This drives away water that would otherwise thin the purée.

4. 4

   Make the purée

   Warm the cream with 6 tablespoons of cubed butter and the nutmeg until the butter melts. Pass the hot potatoes through a ricer or food mill, then fold in two-thirds of the cream mixture with the remaining 1 teaspoon fine salt. Add the rest only as needed, beating gently with a wooden spoon until the purée is smooth and falls in a soft mound. Never use a blender or food processor; their blades release too much starch and turn the potatoes gluey. If the purée is loose, ça se rattrape: stir it over very low heat for a minute or two until the excess moisture leaves. Cover and hold it somewhere warm.

5. 5

   Rest and build jus

   Transfer the pork to a board and cover it loosely with foil for 25 minutes. Strain the roasting-pan contents into a bowl, pressing the vegetables gently, then spoon away the excess surface fat. Set the roasting pan over medium heat, pour in a little of the strained liquid, and scrape up every sound brown patch of fond. Add the remaining strained juices and simmer until reduced to about ¾ cup (180 ml), glossy but still fluid. Remove it from the heat and whisk in the final tablespoon of chilled butter. If the jus looks oily, whisk 1 teaspoon of cold water in a clean bowl and add the jus gradually until it comes together.

6. 6

   Carve across grain

   Remove the strings and find the direction of the muscle fibres, then carve across them into slices about ⅓ inch (8 mm) thick. Spoon a little jus over the pork, keeping the rest in a warm jug, and serve the purée beside it so each person can catch the juices as they please. The crust should be deeply bronzed, the meat tender enough to cut with the side of a fork, and the purée rich enough to need no disguise. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for pork neck, collar, or the upper collar end of the shoulder, with its fat left in place. A boneless Boston butt is an honest substitute when neck isn't sold separately; its shape differs, but it has the same useful seams of fat and connective tissue.
• •Don't judge this cut by colour alone. A thermometer tells you when the centre is hot enough, while a skewer tells you whether the connective tissue has softened. You need both readings to agree.
• •Basting is the dish, not brigade scaffolding. It coats the surface with fat, carries the aromatic juices over the crust, and keeps the fond fluid enough to become a clean jus instead of a burnt stain.
• •Pour a lively red with enough freshness for the pork's richness, such as Beaujolais-Villages or Chinon. Heavy, heavily oaked wine makes a generous roast feel ponderous.

Advance Preparation

• •The pork may be tied and seasoned 12 to 24 hours ahead, then left uncovered in the refrigerator. The dry surface browns particularly well; take it out thirty minutes before roasting.
• •The onions, carrots, and garlic may be cut earlier in the day. Peeled potatoes can wait for up to 4 hours submerged in cold water, then must be drained before cooking.
• •Leftover pork and jus keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat the slices covered at 300°F (150°C) with a spoonful of jus, stopping as soon as they are hot so the meat doesn't dry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 690g)