Very tender pork roast, baked in the oven in a clay pot — an extremely easy recipe like the barbecue-sauce roast or the prosecco pork shoulder roast. A few days ago I found the famous Römertopf clay roaster on sale — a pressed terracotta pan shaped like a boat with a domed lid. This special pot, also ideal for low-temperature cooking, is excellent for preparing roasts; by capturing all the juices and aromas inside, it gives the finished dish a delightful tenderness and flavor. Naturally, if you don’t have this pot you can replace it with a cast-iron pot, a classic clay pot, or an ovenproof roasting pan with a suitable lid. Having bought the pot and unable to wait to use it, I asked my trusted butcher for a nice piece of pork neck (coppa), a cut that cooks without difficulty and remains very tender and succulent thanks to the fat marbling. Then I rushed to the kitchen to get to work, preparing this delicious orange-scented roast that is super tender! Want to try it too? Let’s head to the kitchen — with this dish you’ll really impress all your guests; it’s perfect for Christmas, New Year’s Eve and every festive Sunday! If you want to stay updated on new recipes you can follow my Facebook page and my Instagram profile.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 5
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 3 3/4 lb pork neck (coppa) (in a single piece)
- 2 carrots
- 2 onions
- 2 onions (medium)
- 3.4 fl oz white wine
- 3 tbsp butter
- to taste bouillon cube (homemade or salt)
- 3 oranges
- 2 tbsp honey
- 4 leaves bay leaves
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
Tools
- Unglazed clay roaster
- Oven
- Frying pan
- Kitchen twine
- Immersion blender
Preparation
For this recipe I recommend using pork neck (coppa) in a single piece for roasts. This cut of meat is always tender and juicy even without a thermometer; if you err on the cooking time, better to extend it a bit than shorten it.
Tie the pork neck with kitchen twine to prevent it from falling apart during cooking.
Place the piece of meat in the preheated pot and sear it on all sides, turning so it seals. Deglaze with the wine and let all the alcohol evaporate (you should no longer smell alcohol in the air). Move the meat to a rack, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside.
In the pan where you seared the meat, add the butter, let it melt over low heat and add the celery, carrots and onions, washed, peeled and diced. Add salt or the homemade bouillon and let the vegetables absorb the flavors. Soften and brown the vegetables and place them in the clay pot (a regular cast-iron pot with lid or a classic roasting pan will also work), along with half the bay leaves and rosemary.
Put the meat into the pot, rub half the honey over it, cover with orange slices, add the remaining bay leaves and rosemary. Put it in the oven and cook at 392°F for 2 hours (meat typically takes about 1 hour per kilogram — in this case, with pork, we extend the time a bit to ensure a fully cooked, tender and juicy result). If you use the terracotta pot, place it in a cold oven and wait for the oven to reach temperature before starting the two-hour countdown. Cast-iron pots can go into a preheated oven.
After the time has passed, the meat should be cooked, and the roasting dish will contain all its juices: don’t worry — you’ll use them to make the accompanying sauce! Collect all the juices and most of the vegetables into a saucepan, add the juice of one orange, the honey and the flour, keeping the meat warm.
Blend everything and move to the stove to let the sauce thicken. Place the meat on a cutting board and slice with a sharp knife into slices about 1/4 inch thick or slightly more.
Plate and serve with the freshly prepared sauce.
Storage and tips
Store any leftover meat in the fridge in an airtight container and consume within 24 hours. After reheating it will still be good but not as nice as freshly made.
I do not recommend preparing the roast more than 1 hour in advance; if you do, keep it warm in the pot and inside the oven.
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From here, you can return to the HOME and discover new recipes!
From here, you can return to the HOME and discover new recipes!
