Christmas Shoulder Pork Roast

This year 2007 is ear-marked as the most memorable Christmas dinner I have ever had. Truly not because this is the best roast I have ever made but this was my last wonderful meal I had before I gave birth to my son.

Funny as it seems but I was bargaining with God that I want to enjoy my Christmas roast, then have my 30 days confinement period and right in time for Chinese New Year scrumptious food. God granted just that! and I love Him!

Since this child is literally a ‘GIFT from God’, I never expected God to be so humorous that he is our present from HIM right on Boxing Day! Praise God!

Usually I wouldn’t even think of making this shoulder pork roast, mainly because this piece of meat is heavily layered with fats on top. Then again, the fats on top is the secret ingredient to a perfect shoulder pork roast.

Ingredients

1 shoulder of pork approx. 1.5 kg (readily tied with skin intact for roasting)
1 can of pineapple rings is syrup (discard syrup)
2 red apples (seeded and sliced)
2 ripe red plums (seeded and sliced)
some dried yellow raisins or cranberries
a handful of cloves
5 Tbsp of molasses
3 Tbsp of Bramble jelly (black berry)
1 pac of brandy
olive oil
sea salt
freshly crushed black pepper

Method

1. Marinate the pork shoulder with salt and pepper. Put into a refrigerator bag and leave it in the fridge overnight. The pork must be properly thawed before roasting.
2. Reserve all marinade from the bag. Place pork on a oven proof dish and pop it into the healsio at Super roast 200 degree celsius for 1 hour with skin side facing up. Test spearing it with a sharp paring knife to test if it is thoroughly cooked. If pink juices runs out continue to cook and test again until when speared juices comes out clear. (Note: you have to keep basting the roast every now and then when using normal electric ovens)
3. Bring out the roast and cut off the strings and thinly slice off the skin revealing the fats. Make criss cross incisions on the top fatty part and push in a clove at every cross.
4. Mix together molasses, bramble jelly, a drizzle of olive oil and brandy and pour over the roast. Quickly put it back into the hot oven for 15 minutes to caramelize.
5. Take out only the roast and leave aside to cool while all the rest of the fruity ingredients are poured into the oven proof dish including the left over marinade and roast for another 20 minutes till fruits becomes soft and soaks up some of the roast gravy.
6. Take out the dish and place the roast on the fruits and start carving. You may drizzle a little brandy over the ready roast before carving if desired.