Slow-cooked pork shoulder stuffed with orange and prunes

Method

1. Soak the chopped prunes in the brandy for at least 2 hours or ideally overnight.
2. Remove the pork shoulder from the fridge at least an hour before cooking. Pat the skin dry with kitchen paper. Put a small frying pan over a medium heat, add a splash of oil and, when hot, add the onion. Fry gently until softened (about 10 minutes).
3. In a large bowl, mix the herbs, orange zest and juice, apple, breadcrumbs and plenty of salt and pepper. Add the cooked onion and soaked prunes (along with any liquid left in the bowl)
4. Line a roasting tin with baking paper and heat the oven to 200°C fan/gas 7. Arrange 3-4 lengths of string parallel on a clean work surface (so they can wrap around the meat). Put the meat, skin-side down, on the pieces of string, then season generously with salt and pepper. Cover the meat with the stuffing mixture, then roll it up, enclosing the stuffing. Use the strings to secure the rolled pork, tying them tightly. If any stuffing falls out at this point, push it back in. Put the joint in the prepared roasting tin, skin-side up.
5. Pat the skin dry with kitchen paper once more, then work the sea salt flakes into the skin, especially where it has been scored. Put the meat in the oven and cook for 30 minutes, then turn the heat down to 140°C fan/gas 3 and cook for 3½-4 hours.
6. Use a thermometer to check the centre of the roast is 65°C. If the skin hasn’t turned to crackling by this time, crank the heat back up to 200°C fan/gas 7 and cook for a further 10-30 minutes, checking every 5 minutes that the skin isn’t burning. If it still doesn’t crackle, you can remove the meat from the oven, cut off the string, slice off the skin, then put the skin back into the oven on its own for a few minutes. Rest the meat for 30 minutes before serving.