Fresh Neck of Pork with Red Cabbage à la Flamande

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •13 by 9-inch (33 by 23 cm) heavy roasting pan with a small rack
• •Instant-read meat thermometer
• •3-cup (700 ml) clear heatproof jug or fat separator
• •Large warmed oval serving platter
• •Butcher's twine

Instructions

1. 1

   Season the pork

   Heat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Pat the pork completely dry, then season every surface with the salt and pepper. If the butcher has not tied it, bind it at 1-inch (2.5 cm) intervals so the roast cooks evenly and carves cleanly. Set it fat-side up on a small rack in a heavy roasting pan and leave it for 20 minutes while the oven finishes heating. A dry, even surface takes color; a damp one merely sweats.

2. 2

   Set the crust

   Roast at 450°F (230°C) for 20 minutes, until the top is properly bronzed and the fat has begun to render. Do not baste yet. Opening the oven and washing the surface with liquid before the crust forms only delays the browning the gravy needs.

3. 3

   Roast it gently

   Reduce the oven to 325°F (160°C) and continue roasting for 1 hour 50 minutes to 2 hours 20 minutes. Turn the pan once for even color, but leave the pork fat-side up. It is ready when the center reaches 180 to 185°F (82 to 85°C), a thin knife meets little resistance, and the meat is tender while still firm enough to slice. If the crust darkens too quickly, cover it loosely with foil. If the fond on the pan floor threatens to turn black, add 2 tablespoons of the boiling water around the rack, never over the pork. Ça se rattrape: lower the heat slightly and preserve the brown fond before it becomes bitter.

4. 4

   Rest and warm

   Transfer the pork to a warm platter or carving board and tent it loosely with foil for 25 to 30 minutes. While it rests, warm the prepared Choux Rouges à la Flamande (No. 2098) in its covered cocotte over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, folding it once from the edges toward the center. Add no stock or water. If the bottom catches, do not scrape the scorched layer through the cabbage; lift the clean portion into another pan, cover it, and lower the heat.

5. 5

   Clear the joint gravy

   Remove the rack from the roasting pan and pour in the remaining boiling water, scraping up every brown speck of fond. Add the juices collected beneath the resting pork and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until the gravy tastes concentrated but remains fluid. Pour it into a clear heatproof jug and let the fat rise for 2 minutes, then spoon away roughly three quarters of the visible grease, leaving a fine savory sheen. If the gravy is weak, reduce it briefly; if it tightens or tastes too strong, loosen it with a spoonful of hot water.

6. 6

   Dish and carve

   Set the roast in the center of a warm oval platter and surround it generously with the cabbage, keeping the vegetables beside the pork rather than beneath its crust. Spoon the three-parts-cleared joint gravy over the cabbage so its surface gleams, then remove the strings and carve the pork across the grain into thick slices. Bring the remaining gravy separately for anyone who wants another spoonful. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Fresh is the important word at the butcher's counter. Ask for an uncured, unsmoked pork neck or collar, tied into a compact roast; smoked neck belongs to another preparation entirely.
• •Prepare the Choux Rouges à la Flamande (No. 2098) from its own entry and keep it whole as the named garnish. Ordinary braised red cabbage is not an equal exchange, because the vinegar-only moistening and apple balance are what place this dish in French Flanders.
• •A thermometer settles the roast without guesswork. Pork neck contains enough connective tissue to need more cooking than a loin, but stop while the slices still hold together; tenderness is the aim, not collapse.
• •A fat separator is convenient, but a clear jug and spoon perform the same work. The book asks for gravy three-parts cleared of grease, not stripped bare. Leave the thin sheen that carries the pork's flavor.
• •A dry bière de garde from French Flanders suits the sweet-sour cabbage and roast pork beautifully. Serve it cool rather than icy, with mustard on the table only if your guests ask for it.

Advance Preparation

• •The Choux Rouges à la Flamande (No. 2098) can be completed up to 2 days ahead, chilled in its cocotte, and reheated gently while the pork rests. The timing above begins with this finished component ready.
• •The pork may be tied and seasoned up to 24 hours ahead. Keep it uncovered in the refrigerator so its surface dries, then take it out while the oven heats.
• •Leftover pork and cabbage keep for 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat the cabbage covered over low heat and warm sliced pork gently with a spoonful of the reserved gravy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 525g)