A golden, roast shoulder of pork complete with crunchy, salty crackling and a homemade gravy. Serve with roast potatoes and steamed green vegetables.
We have a great selection of roast dinners on our website. From Classic Roast Chicken to Roast Lamb with Onion Gravy and even a Bacon Covered Roast Turkey, a roast dinner is a wonderful and simple way to feed your family and friends.
This new recipe for Roast Pork with Gravy guides you through the best way to cook roast pork. I start off by coating the meat in a simple cumin and olive oil rub, then roasting it in a pan on a bed of onions with lots of water. This makes the most delicious gravy.
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Ingredient notes:
- Pork: You can either use a pork shoulder or a leg of pork. I try and find a cut with the smallest bone in it.
- Stock: If you have homemade stock, you can use this place of a stock cube and boiling water.
- Onions: The onions in the bottom of the pan serve several purposes; they add extra flavour to the gravy, they help to keep the meat tender and juicy and they help to prevent the meat from sticking to the bottom of the tray.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card for the ingredients, quantities and the full method.
Step by step instructions:
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake. Pat the pork skin dry, then score lines across the skin without cutting into the flesh. Rub olive oil over the skin and sprinkle with 1 tsp of salt. Turn the pork over and rub the flesh side with cumin, the remaining salt and the pepper.
Place the halved onions in a roasting tray to act as a base. Add 2 cups of cold water to the tray, then place the pork on top of the onions. Roast the pork for 1 ½ hours. After this time, add another 2 cups of water then return to the oven. Check the tray regularly to ensure the juices don’t burn. If they start catching, add more water.
After 1 more hour (2 ½ total) increase the oven temperature to 240°C fan bake. Cook for another 20 minutes or until the crackling is golden and crispy. Remove the pork from the oven and place on a board, cover with tinfoil and let the pork rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
Strain the juices and onions from the tray into a jug. Dissolve the chicken stock cup in the boiling water then add to a saucepan. Stir in 1 cup of the pork juices. Mix the cornflour with ¼ cup of cold water until smooth, then whisk it into the saucepan.
Bring the gravy to a boil, stirring continuously, until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the gravy into a jug to serve with the pork. Slice the pork and serve with gravy, apple sauce, roast potatoes and steamed greens.
Recipe FAQs:
Prevent the juices in the tray from burning by adding water as needed. This ensures a rich and flavourful gravy.
Adjust the cooking time using the rule of thumb: 30 minutes per 500g of pork.
Storage:
Store any leftover pork in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Either enjoy cold or reheat in the oven or microwave.
Sliced pork can also be frozen. Simply place it in an airtight container and freeze for up to three months. Defrost completely before eating.
Top tips:
If you need the crackling to crisp up more then switch the oven to grill mode and position the pork close to the grill at the end of cooking. Watch it carefully to avoid burning.
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Roast Pork
A golden roast shoulder of pork complete with crunchy salty crackling and a homemade gravy. Serve with roast potatoes and steamed greens.
Ingredients
- 2.5kg skin on pork shoulder
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 2 onions, quartered
- 4 cups water
Gravy
- 1 chicken stock cube
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 cup pork juices
- 2 Tbsp cornflour
- ¼ cup cold water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake.
- Pat the pork skin dry, then score lines across the skin without cutting into the flesh. Rub olive oil over the skin and sprinkle with 1 tsp of salt.
- Turn the pork over and rub the flesh side with cumin, the remaining salt and the pepper.
- Place the halved onions in a roasting tray to act as a base. Add 2 cups of cold water to the tray, then place the pork on top of the onions.
- Roast the pork for 1 ½ hours. After this time, add another 2 cups of water then return to the oven. Check the tray regularly to ensure the juices don’t burn. If they start catching, add more water.
- After 1 more hour (2 ½ total) increase the oven temperature to 240°C fan bake. Cook for another 20 minutes or until the crackling is golden and crispy.
- Remove the pork from the oven and place on a board, cover with tinfoil and let the pork rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
- To make the gravy: Strain the juices and onions from the tray into a jug.
- Dissolve the chicken stock cup in the boiling water then add to a saucepan. Stir in 1 cup of the pork juices.
- Mix the cornflour with ¼ cup of cold water until smooth, then whisk it into the saucepan.
- Bring the gravy to a boil, stirring continuously, until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the gravy into a jug to serve with the pork.
- Slice the pork and serve with gravy, apple sauce, roast potatoes and steamed greens.
Notes
- Prevent the juices in the tray from burning by adding water as needed. This ensures a rich and flavourful gravy.
- If you need the crackling to crisp up more then switch the oven to grill mode and position the pork close to the grill at the end of cooking. Watch it carefully to avoid burning.
- Adjust the cooking time using the rule of thumb: 30 minutes per 500g of pork. This recipe can also be made with pork leg or rolled roast.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 839Total Fat: 60gSaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 33gCholesterol: 246mgSodium: 703mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 0gSugar: 4gProtein: 65g
Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.
Thank you for checking out this recipe. I hope you enjoy making and eating it! If you have any questions, queries or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.
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Vanya
Ruth Niu
Legitimately brilliant pork!!! Crispy on the outside, soft & melt in your mouth on the inside…so good! Thank you @vjcooks
VJ cooks
Oh yay! So happy to hear it worked so well for you! I agree, this is my favourite way to cook pork.