Pork neck roulade low & slow
Iberico pork is often called the Wagyu of pig breeds. This is due to the fantastic intramuscular marbling in the meat of these pigs. Because it is such rich meat, it is also perfectly suited for low and slow cooking, which is exactly what I [Siebe Grijpma of @bbqmoods] did with this roulade. Instead of roasting it or putting it on the rotisserie, I smoked it at 120 degrees Celsius. The roulade was already seasoned and tied by the butchers at The Butchery, so it is an extremely straightforward recipe. The Dutch 3*** Beter Leven breed LIVAR is also very suitable for preparing this roulade. Beautifully marbled, flavourful meat, but just a little less fatty. A matter of taste, and the cooking method remains the same.
Summary roulade
Indirect cooking
Dome temperature 120 degrees Celsius
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 2.5 hours
Servings: 4 to 5 people
Preparation roulade
As mentioned, it is a straightforward recipe and requires little to no preparation. Light your BBQ and set it to 120 degrees Celsius with indirect heat. Remove the roulade from the packaging, pat it dry with kitchen paper and apply a layer of your favourite rub to the outside. Something slightly sweet works well with pork, so preferably use a sweet rub. The roulade is already well seasoned by the butchers at The Butchery, but adding a rub on the outside gives you a beautiful flavourful bark.
Once your BBQ has reached temperature, add a few chunks of smoking wood. For pork, I always use sweet fruit woods like apple, cherry or plum. We need about 3 hours of smoke, so 2 to 3 chunks should be enough.
Place the roulade on the grate, making sure it is really indirect. Place a drip tray under your meat because, as mentioned, this is well marbled meat. Use a platesetter or the snake or Minion method for indirect cooking. Insert a thermometer and close the lid. We aim for a core temperature between 62 and 67 degrees Celsius. Do not let it cook too far, in my opinion that does not give the best result.
Every 30 minutes, spray the roulade with the apple juice mixture and rotate it a quarter turn. The outside will develop a fantastic colour from the rub and smoke. After about 2.5 hours, the roulade will have reached a core temperature of approximately 62 degrees. Remove it from the BBQ and let it rest under aluminium foil for about 10 minutes. Then remove the netting or twine and slice it into nice thick slices, about 1 cm. If you have leftovers, fry them quickly in a pan the next day, also delicious.
Serving roulade
Serve the slices of roulade on a beautiful dish or board and add your festive vegetables. Festive because this dish is already a celebration on its own. I made haricots verts wrapped in streaky bacon (from the oven).
Festive right?
ENJOY!