Description
THE PORK
Our rolled shoulder comes from pork sourced from the Lincolnshire Pork Company — quality British pigs raised to high welfare standards right here in Lincolnshire. The shoulder is a well-worked muscle and benefits enormously from good breeding and proper farming — the fat distribution and connective tissue that make it the ideal slow roasting joint only develop in animals that have been raised at the right pace. Our butchers roll and tie each joint on site at Grasmere Farm, ready to season and cook.
TWO WAYS TO COOK IT
The shoulder gives you two very different results depending on how you approach it — and both are worth knowing.
The Traditional Sunday Roast
Take the joint out of the fridge at least an hour before cooking. Season generously all over with flaked salt, black pepper, and a little fresh sage or rosemary if you have it. Rub with oil and salt for the best crackling.
Preheat your oven to 220°C / 200°C fan. Roast at high heat for the first 25 minutes to get colour and begin crisping the fat. Then turn the oven down to 180°C / 160°C fan and continue cooking for 25 minutes per 500g. Use a probe thermometer — 70°C at the thickest part of the joint is what you’re looking for. Rest for at least 20 minutes before carving, crackling uncovered.
The shoulder won’t carve as cleanly as the loin — it has more fat running through it and the muscle structure is less uniform. The slices will be richer, more varied, and very flavourful.
Low and Slow — Pulled Pork
This is where the shoulder really comes into its own. The long, slow cook breaks down the connective tissue into something rich and silky, and the result is meat so tender it falls apart with two forks.
Before you start, remove the skin. Slide a sharp knife between the rind and the fat layer and peel it back — it comes away cleanly if you work slowly. Don’t throw it away. Score it, salt it heavily, and roast it separately on a wire rack at 220°C for 20–25 minutes until it puffs and crackles. That’s your crackling, done properly, while the shoulder does its thing in the oven.
Season the skinned joint generously all over with salt, pepper, and whatever spices suit your mood — smoked paprika, fennel seeds, dried chilli, garlic powder all work well with pork. Place in a roasting dish with a splash of cider or stock in the bottom. Cover tightly with foil and cook at 150°C / 130°C fan.
The joint is ready when the meat is completely tender and pulls apart easily — internal temperature of 90°C+ is where the connective tissue fully breaks down. Remove the foil for the last 30 minutes to get colour and begin crisping the outside. Rest for 20 minutes before pulling apart with two forks.
For a slow cooker: season and sear the skinned joint all over in a hot pan first for colour, then transfer to the slow cooker on low for 8–10 hours. No liquid needed beyond a splash of cider — the joint produces plenty of its own.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH IT
For the traditional roast: apple sauce, roast potatoes, roasted root vegetables, and a gravy made from the roasting juices deglazed with cider. Sage and onion stuffing on the side if you’re going all in.
For pulled pork: good bread rolls, coleslaw, and our Grasmere Red Onion Marmalade. Or serve it piled onto jacket potatoes, stirred through pasta with the cooking juices, or as the filling for a proper midweek taco with sharp pickled red onion and a little soured cream.
Cold leftover shoulder — if there is any — sliced and eaten in a sandwich the next day is one of the quieter pleasures of cooking this joint. It reheats beautifully too, covered with the roasting juices in a low oven.
STORAGE & DELIVERY
Delivered fresh in chilled packaging. Keep refrigerated and cook within the use by on pack. Suitable for freezing — freeze on day of delivery and defrost slowly in the fridge for 24 hours before cooking.
