Spiced Pork Shoulder with Roast Crab Apples
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cardamon seeds
- 1 1/2 teaspoons peppercorns
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 3 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more for apples
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pork shoulder about 5 pounds
- Several sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 large onion, thickly sliced
- 2 carrots, cut into large chunks
- 11/2 cups apple cider
- A few cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 pounds crab apples, lady apples or seckel pears
Combine cumin, coriander, cardamon, peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves and nutmeg in a mortar or spice grinder and work to form a rough powder. Brush pork with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season well with spice rub, salt and some fresh thyme. Refrigerate about 1 hour.
Heat oven to 425. Strew bottom of dutch oven with onion, carrots and garlic to create a bed for pork. Add cider. Set pork, fat side up, over vegetables and cider and place in oven. Roast until top of meat is golden brown and crisp, about 40 minutes. Reduce heat, cover dutch oven and continue cooking another 6 hours. The meat should be very tender and easily fall from the bone. With about 1 1/2 hours left to go, halve and core fruit. Toss with remaining tablespoon olive oil, fresh thyme and a pinch of sea salt. Arrange apples, cut side up, on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place in oven (on a rack below meat) and roast until meat has finished cooking. Remove meat and apples from oven. Shred meat from bone and serve along side apples.