Fresh Neck of Pork with Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •3-quart (2.8 L) oven-safe earthenware or stoneware roasting dish, about 13 by 9 inches (33 by 23 cm)
• •Large saucepan, at least 4 quarts (3.8 L)
• •Wide colander
• •Instant-read meat thermometer
• •Large basting spoon
• •Carving knife and board

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the roast

   Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C), or 350°F (180°C) convection, with a rack just below the centre. Do not preheat the earthenware dish. Pat the pork completely dry, leave its fat in place, and retie it at 1½-inch (4 cm) intervals if the butcher's string is loose. Season it all over with 2¼ teaspoons (13 ml / 14 g) of the salt and all the pepper. Set it fat-side up in the centre of a 3-quart (2.8 L) oven-safe earthenware roasting dish.

2. 2

   Start the roasting

   Roast the pork alone for 45 minutes. After about 30 minutes, tilt the dish carefully and spoon the rendered fat and juices over the meat. The film forming beneath it should be hazelnut brown, never black. If an edge begins to scorch, lower the oven by 25°F (10°C) and add 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) boiling water down the side of the dish, then loosen the dark fond gently with a wooden spoon. Never pour cold liquid into hot earthenware.

   Leave the exterior fat on the neck. It bastes the roast, supplies the cooking fat for the sprouts, and carries the browned fond into the gravy.
3. 3

   Par-cook the sprouts

   While the pork roasts, bring the 2 quarts (1.9 L / 1.9 kg) water and remaining 3¼ teaspoons (16 ml / 19 g) salt to a full boil. Add the Brussels sprouts and, once the water returns to the boil, cook for 5 to 7 minutes. This is cuire aux trois quarts, cooking about three-quarters through: a small knife should pass easily through the outer layers but meet clear resistance at the centre. Drain them in a wide colander, shake firmly, and leave them exposed for 5 minutes. Do not rinse them. If water still beads on their surfaces, return them to the emptied warm pan over low heat and toss for 30 to 60 seconds. Ça se rattrape. Wet sprouts would dilute the gravy, while dry ones can drink it in.

4. 4

   Finish them together

   Begin checking the pork after 60 minutes of roasting. When its centre reaches 135 to 140°F (57 to 60°C), arrange the drained sprouts around it in a snug single layer. If the pork has not reached that point, let it roast alone for another 10 minutes before checking again. Roll every sprout through the rendered fat and gravy, then spoon the juices over the meat and vegetables. Roast for another 25 to 35 minutes, turning and basting the sprouts every 10 minutes, until the pork reaches 165°F (74°C) in its thickest part and the sprouts are tender at the heart with bronzed outer leaves. If the dish becomes dry, add boiling water 1 tablespoon at a time and loosen the fond. If the pork finishes before the sprouts have browned, rest it briefly on a board while the sprouts roast for up to 10 minutes more, then return it to the dish.

5. 5

   Rest and serve

   Remove the earthenware dish from the oven and tent only the pork loosely with foil, leaving the sprouts uncovered. Rest for 15 minutes, basting the vegetables once with the settling juices. If a deep pool of clear fat remains, spoon off the excess but leave enough to gloss the sprouts and carry the gravy. Bring the roast to the table in its cooking dish. Carve there, or lift it briefly to a board, slice across the grain about ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick, and return the slices to the same earthenware among the sprouts. Spoon the gravy over everything. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for fresh pork neck, collar, or échine, boned and tied. Fresh means unsalted and unsmoked here. Choose a compact roast with visible seams of fat, and never ask for it trimmed lean; the marbling is what keeps this working cut succulent.
• •Choose Brussels sprouts of similar size so cuire aux trois quarts takes the same time for all of them. Leave them whole unless they are unusually large, in which case halve every sprout rather than mixing whole and cut vegetables.
• •Use glazed earthenware or stoneware explicitly rated for roasting. Inspect it for cracks, begin with the dish at room temperature, and keep cold liquid away from it once hot. The source's oven-to-table service is splendid, but thermal shock has no place at dinner.
• •Do not add bacon, cream, herbs, or a separate sauce. The pork's own gravy and fat are the seasoning the sprouts were intended to absorb; adding another garnish would bury the preparation instead of completing it.
• •A lightly chilled Beaujolais-Villages has enough fruit for the browned pork and enough freshness for the sprouts. Leftovers keep chilled for up to 3 days and reheat best covered at 325°F (165°C) with a spoonful of water.

Advance Preparation

• •The pork can be seasoned and tied up to 12 hours ahead. Refrigerate it uncovered, then take it out while the oven heats so the chill begins to leave its surface.
• •Trim the Brussels sprouts up to a day ahead and refrigerate them in a covered container lined with a dry cloth or paper towel.
• •The sprouts may be par-cooked up to 4 hours ahead. Drain and dry them completely, chill them uncovered until cold, then cover. Their surfaces must be dry again before they enter the roasting dish.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 390g)