Schiffala

Ingredients

• For the cure
• 1.5 kg pork shoulder (palette or épaule), bone-in
• 80 g coarse salt
• 2 g saltpetre, for colour preservation
• 10 g sugar
• 6 juniper berries, lightly crushed
• 1 tsp black peppercorns, lightly crushed
• For the cold smoke
• beechwood, pear or apple wood chips, sufficient for 3–5 days cold smoking below 25°C
• For the braise
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 2 medium root vegetables (carrot, celeriac or parsnip), roughly sliced
• 250 ml Riesling, or water
• For the glazed turnips
• 600 g turnips (navets), peeled and quartered
• 30 g unsalted butter
• 15 g sugar
• 1 ladle pork cooking liquid, skimmed, from the braise
• To serve
• 1 tbsp per person hot Dijon mustard

Method

1. 1
   Combine the coarse salt, saltpetre, sugar, juniper berries and black peppercorns. Rub the mixture thoroughly over the entire surface of the pork shoulder. Place the joint in a non-reactive container, cover, and keep in a cool cellar for 7–10 days, turning the shoulder daily. The cure is complete when the flesh is firm throughout and uniformly rosy in colour with no grey patches.
2. 2
   Cold-smoke the cured shoulder over beechwood, pear or apple wood, maintaining the smoking chamber strictly below 25°C, for 3–5 days. The joint is ready when the skin is mahogany brown and firm, and the smoke fragrance is deep and penetrating with no raw or green-wood note.
3. 3
   If the cured, smoked shoulder is very salty, soak it in cold water for 4–6 hours before braising, changing the water twice. This step is indicated if a small piece simmered in plain water tastes aggressively saline.
4. 4
   Preheat the oven to 150°C. Spread the sliced onions and root vegetables across the base of a heavy covered casserole. Set the smoked shoulder on top and add the Riesling (or water) to come halfway up the joint. Cover tightly. This is the step on which the dish lives or dies: the liquid must never exceed a bare tremble throughout the 3-hour braise — a rolling boil toughens the exterior while leaving the interior raw. Braise at 150°C for 3 hours, until a probe slides into the thickest part with no resistance.
5. 5
   While the shoulder rests, prepare the turnips. Melt the butter in a wide sauté pan over medium heat, add the turnip quarters and the sugar, and cook, turning regularly, until the pieces are deeply caramelised on all cut faces — glacer à brun. The colour should be a rich amber. Add a ladleful of the skimmed pork braising liquid, cover, and simmer until the turnips are tender and a knife tip meets no resistance.
6. 6
   Carve the rested shoulder into thick slices against the grain. The interior should be rosy pink, with a visible smoke ring just beneath the surface. Arrange the slices on a warm serving dish with the glazed turnips alongside and a generous spoonful of hot Dijon mustard.