Bonfire pulled pork jacket potatoes with cider-onion gravy

The cook

1. 01

   Step 1SEASON THE SHOULDER

   Pat the pork dry and trim away any thick, hard lumps of fat. Mix the salt, sugar, paprika, garlic granules and pepper. Smear the shoulder with mustard, then coat all over with the rub. The mustard holds everything in place; you’re building a proper crust, not a thick paste.

2. 02

   Step 2SORT THE FIRE

   Set up a kettle or kamado for indirect cooking at 120°C, with charcoal to one side or a heat deflector fitted. Put a drip tray beneath the cooking area and add two small chunks of applewood to the lit charcoal. Let the smoke settle to a thin haze before adding the pork. Allow roughly 7–8 hours for cooking, plus 45 minutes resting; a stubborn shoulder can take longer.

3. 03

   Step 3SMOKE FIRST

   Place the pork away from the coals, fat side up, and shut the lid. Smoke for 3–4 hours, maintaining about 120°C, until the surface is deep reddish-brown and the rub no longer wipes off easily. Colour and a set crust matter more than hitting a particular internal temperature here.

4. 04

   Step 4CIDER, ONIONS, LID ON

   Spread the sliced onions across a deep roasting tin. Sit the pork on top and pour the cider, stock and Worcestershire sauce around it rather than over the crust. Cover tightly with foil and raise the BBQ to 160°C. Cook indirectly for another 3–4 hours, until the centre reaches roughly 93–96°C and a probe slides into several places with almost no resistance. Check the liquid after 2 hours and add a splash of hot water if the tin is drying out.

5. 05

   Step 5GET THE SPUDS GOING

   About 3 hours before you expect the pork to finish, scrub and dry the potatoes, prick them, then rub with oil and salt. Bake on the indirect side at 160°C for 2½–3 hours, turning occasionally, until a skewer slips right through. Alternatively, double-wrap each potato in foil and nestle beside mature embers, never in flames. Turn every 20 minutes and allow 75–120 minutes, moving them further out if the skins scorch before the centres soften.

6. 06

   Step 6SLOW-COOKER OPTION

   Instead of steps 2–4, put the onions, 250 ml cider, 100 ml stock and Worcestershire sauce into a slow cooker large enough for the shoulder without exceeding its fill line. Add the rubbed pork, cover and cook on low for 8–10 hours, until probe-tender at roughly 93–96°C. Lift carefully into a shallow metal tray, keeping it in large pieces, and reserve the liquid and onions. Finish uncovered on an indirect BBQ at 200°C for 20–30 minutes to darken the edges. Cook the potatoes separately using step 5; this route takes longer than the main recipe timing.

7. 07

   Step 7REST IT PROPERLY

   Transfer the cooked pork to a warm tray, spoon over a little cooking liquor and cover with foil. Rest for 45 minutes before pulling. Keep the cooked potatoes warm on a gentle indirect part of the BBQ while you make the gravy. Don’t leave the shoulder sitting over the fire during its rest or it will keep cooking.

8. 08

   Step 8MAKE THE GRAVY

   Pour the cooking liquid and onions into a saucepan and skim off excess fat. Bring to a steady simmer for 10–15 minutes, reducing until the cider tastes rounded rather than raw. Stir the cornflour mixture again, then add gradually until the gravy lightly coats a spoon; you may not need it all. Simmer for 2 minutes. Taste before adding salt, then add pepper and a splash of cider vinegar if it needs a sharper finish.

9. 09

   Step 9PULL AND PILE

   Pull the rested shoulder into generous strands with two forks, discarding any large pieces of unrendered fat. Fold in the resting juices and enough gravy to make the meat glossy, not soupy. Split the potatoes, fluff the middles with butter and scatter in half the Cheddar. Load with pulled pork, spoon over cider-onion gravy and finish with the remaining cheese, spring onions and crackling. Crackling goes on last. Keep that crunch.