Roast Berkshire Pork Leg With Guinness - or your favourite local brewed stout!

This week I have been trying Guinness recipes for St Patrick’s day. I know Guinness goes well with beef but wasn’t sure what it would be like with our pork. It was really delicious.

It was also really easy to make. I used a boneless leg roast but it would work with a shoulder too - you could even turn it into pulled pork - I haven’t done this yet, I ran out of Guinness!

I used a Dutch oven and cooked it in the oven but I may try this in the Instant Pot next time - I am sure it will work great. My Drunken Jerk Pork works really well in the Instant Pot.

ingredients

• 1 pork roast I used a 3-4lb boneless leg roast (To work out how long to cook for Rule of thumb is 25 mins per lb and 25 mins over)

• 1 bottle or can Guinness or support your local Brewery like Rebellion Brewing in Regina - they have an Oatmeal Stout & an Imperial Stout

• 1 onion cut in half

• 1/2 tsp salt

directions

1. Put the oven on to 450 degrees F

2. Score the pork fat - I do about 1/4” apart - and sprinkle with salt

3. Put the onion in a dutch oven with the Guinness and the Pork Roast

4. Put in the oven uncovered for 20 mins then cover and turn the oven down to 350 degrees F

5. Cook until 160 degrees internal temp.

   Gravy

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup pan juices

1. Pour the pan juices out of the pan.

2. Use an immersion blender to blitz the onion into the liquid.

3. Melt the butter then stir in the flour.

4. Stir continuously, for at least 5 minutes over low heat.

5. Add the pan juices slowly to the roux while continuing to stir.

6. Bring it to a simmer, stirring all the time to prevent lumps, until it thickens.

7. Taste and season if necessary - I always add a splash of soy sauce to my gravy

Roast Leg of Berkshire Pork

Remember when Sundays were a Lazy day?

When we were kids we always had a family Sunday dinner when it was ready which was about 2 pm. After all the animals were fed, watered and checked we would have the rest of the day off. Lunch, maybe a movie & always boiled eggs for tea. It actually was a day of rest.

When you live at the same place you work, on the farm, it’s really hard to take time off. We can always find something to do and it is usually means working.

Over Christmas I realized we needed to get off the hamster wheel and slow down. Since the beginning of the year we have managed to have old fashioned Sundays, it’s been great! Proper Sunday Roast dinners in the middle of the afternoon and then doing nothing.

Last weekend I also realized that I couldn’t remember when I last cooked a Roast leg of our Pork. How bad is that for a Pork producer lol. Omg, it was delicious. just a sprinkling of salt on the scored fat - yum.

Lazy Sundays and Roast dinners are definitely back on our menu.

Roast leg of Berkshire Pork

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.

2. Pat skin dry. Score the fat with a sharp knife about 1/2 “ intervals. 

3. Rub salt into skin and fat.

4. Put in a roast pan and roast at 425F for 20 mins uncovered.

5. Then reduce temperature to 375 F and cook for 30 minutes per lb, plus an extra 30 minutes.

6. Do not cover pan. 

7. Cook to internal temp 165 -( the old way is to make sure juices run clear).

8. The drippings make the best gravy. I make a roux with the pork fat (equal parts fat and flour) then add juices from the roast and either pork stock or water from any veg I have cooked) Once it has boiled I add soy sauce and pepper. The soy sauce adds a wonderful flavour as well as colouring the gravy.

Tip - for the most delicious crispy fat and to be honest our favourite - grind equal quantities of fennel seeds, black pepper and sea salt in a pestle and mortar and sprinkle on scored fat…. It’s delicious!