Oven-roasted and browned pork is easy and traditional autumn fare. A suitable cut of pork, a handful of coarse salt, and a well-heated oven are all you need to create a delicious roast.
If possible, it's worth putting a root vegetable dish in the same oven, as the aromas of the dishes will enhance each other wonderfully as they cook! Another approach is to place the meat in the center of a large roasting pan and surround it with root vegetables, creating a true marriage of flavors and aromas. And pork and root vegetables in a roasting bag isn't a bad idea either!
This recipe works with pork shoulder, kassler, blade roast, or chuck roast.
Pork and root vegetables in the oven
1.5–2.0 kg pork shoulder/blade/kassler/chuck roast
3–4 tbsp coarse salt
1 dl water for the roasting pan
Root vegetables to taste
Here's how:
Rinse the pork and make cuts in it with a knife in several places. Push salt into the cuts and rub the rest on the surface. Salting preserves the meat's natural flavors well. Place the meat in a dish and put it covered in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Turn it a few times. Preheat the oven to about 200 degrees. Bring the meat to room temperature about an hour before roasting.
Rinse the pork and place it in a roasting pan, adding a little water to the bottom of the pan. Put the pan in the oven—this will sear the surface of the meat, preventing moisture from evaporating while giving it a beautiful brown color. Let the temperature drop to 150 degrees, where the meat can cook at low heat for 3–4 hours. Baste occasionally with the juices that accumulate in the pan. The pork must be fully cooked. Use a meat thermometer if needed.
And remember, after roasting, let the meat rest for about half an hour under foil. If you put everything in the same pan, let the whole beautiful creation rest under foil, and dig in!
Wine for oven-roasted pork has fruitiness and acidity
If the cooking is easy and simple, it's worth following the same principle with wine choices. A fruity and aromatic wine is a good solution.
Roasted pork pairs with a white wine from Germany, where the culinary union of pork and white wine has centuries-old traditions. Barth Riesling Trocken's pronounced, balanced acidity, minerality, and fruity aromatics make it an excellent food wine. The flavors of roasted oven pork pair well with a generously fruity, lightly herbal, dry Riesling with the subtle sweet note typical of the grape.
Barth Riesling Trocken
Barth Riesling Trocken is a quality showcase from a winery belonging to the VDP wine producers' association. The wine comes from the Rhine valley, from one of Germany's and the wine world's most famous regions, Rheingau. It's about the terroir, location, historical background, and quality consciousness. The wine region's climate is warm, even hot in summer and mild in winter, where the steep slopes of the river valley provide shelter from the wind. The Rhine river acts as a temperature regulator and balancer, also reflecting light well onto the vines.
In Hattenheim, Riesling develops into an elegantly fruity and balanced wine with structure, intensity, and a long finish.
You can find price and product information here.
Text, recipe, and wood-fired oven photo: Heikki Remes. www.viinimies.com
