Preserved lemon and cider pork with couscous recipe

Pork preserved in lemon and cider, served shredded on a bed of couscous topped with pork crackling. Delicious slow-cooked food that's full of flavour. 

Prep time: 20 minutes | Cooking time: 4 hours

SERVES

Four to six

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5kg shoulder of pork
• 1.2 litres pear cider
• 6 preserved lemons
• 8 sprigs of thyme, plus extra for the couscous
• 400g couscous
• Sea salt flakes
• Olive oil
• Coarse black pepper

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/140C fan/Gas 3. If it hasn’t already been done, remove the crackling skin and fat from the pork and place it onto a baking sheet.
2. Deeply score it a few times, rub a little salt into both sides, then set to one side. Heat a heavy-based saucepan or casserole over a high heat and add one tablespoon of oil.
3. Once the oil shimmers, add the pork shoulder to the pan and sear for about 3 minutes, turning occasionally to ensure all of the flesh is seared.
4. Add the cider, four whole preserved lemons, thyme sprigs and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then cover with a lid and put into the oven with the tray of crackling – you’ll probably need to use two shelves. Allow to slowly cook for about 4 hours, until the crackling is incredibly crisp and the pork meat is falling apart. After this time, take everything out of the oven.
5. Remove the crackling from the tray and allow to cool and crisp on a plate. Remove the pork from the pan and put it onto a plate, covering it with foil.
6. Put the couscous into a heatproof bowl then place the pan of cooking liquor over a high heat and bring to the boil. Once boiling, pour enough of the liquid over the couscous to cover by 2 cm– you may need to top up with boiling water. Cover the bowl with a plate or cling film, and leave to soak for 10 minutes or so. Fluff up the couscous with a fork and season to taste, adding a small handful of chopped thyme leaves and the remaining preserved lemons, roughly chopped.
7. Shred the pork and serve it on a mound of couscous, topped with some crispy pieces of crackling.