Since going full-time on the farm I have introduced some rare and native breeds of pigs, sheep and cows. These animals are slower growing, thrive in the outdoors on a natural grass-fed diet and produce beautifully marbled meat. As they are slow growing their muscles are harder worked which results in loads of flavour, and that flavour is improved even more by just the right amount of fat covering.

Although all these elements add up to the very best quality meat none of them appeal to the supermarkets as it means the animals are more expensive to rear! For that reason farmers who keep rare and native breed animals often find their own routes to market.

That is why we am introducing our Curious Farmer Meal Boxes. Teaming up with the best of Northern Ireland's artisan producers we will provide you all the ingredients and instructions you need to make delicious meals based around our native breed meat.

Rare Breed Pulled Pork with Spiced Apple Jelly & Beef Dripping Chips

First up is our Pulled Pork Box complete with Spiced Apple Jelly from the fantastic Passion Preserved and all you need to make unbeatable beef-dripping chips.



Ingredients

Your box will include:

• 1.5kg Rare-Breed Saddleback Pork Shoulder (suitable for 8 portions)
• Homemade Pulled Pork Rub
• Passion Preserved Spiced Apple Jelly
• Maris Piper Potatoes
• Pot of Beef Dripping
• Recipe Card

2. Once done tightly wrap the seasoned pork shoulder in cling film and leave it in the fridge over night or for up to 24 hours. There is salt in the rub so it will draw out some moisture, don't worry if your meat appears damp in places.



3. Once that time has passed you are ready to start cooking! The first stage is to brown the meat on all sides. The purpose of this is to cook the spices and should be done in a frying pan over a medium heat (not too high, you want to cook the spices not burn them!).



4. Transfer the meat to a casserole dish in which it fits snugly and cover it with the chicken stock. Place the lid on the dish (or cover it with tinfoil) and put it in the oven at 150oC for 3-4 hours or until the meat can be easily shredded by forks.






The Beef Dripping Chips Recipe

You should start prepping your chips 40-50 minutes before the pork is complete.

1. Chop your potatoes into chips about 1cm thick and boil them for approximately 2 minutes. Drain the potatoes and briefly return to the heat, hovering the saucepan over the ring until the potatoes fluff up just a little. This will make them nice and crispy!



2. Pre-heat your oven to 190 C. Spoon all the beef dripping into a large baking tray and place in the oven for 3-4 minutes until melted. This can be done while the chips are boiling. Remove from the oven and quickly tip in the potatoes, tossing them to coat in the fat, leaving plenty of space around them.


3. Season with sea salt and cook in the oven for 30-35 minutes, giving them a quick toss half way through.

And there you have it! Your pulled pork with beef dripping chips. All that is left for you to do is pack it into some fresh bread rolls with a smattering of the delicious Passion Preserved Spiced Apple Jelly. There is a lot of pork so try not to eat it all in one sitting.

(P.S. Don't skimp on the bread rolls, it is worth spending a little extra on quality fresh baps from your local bakery).