Ingredients

For the dry cure

4 ‘spoon bone’ Hampshire pork shanks trimmed (about 350g each)

70g salt

30g sugar

1tsp saltpetre

For the shanks

10 juniper berries

1 cinnamon stick

200g honey

1 large pinch of ground cloves

80ml olive oil

For the bubble and squeak

600g Maris Piper potatoes, skin on and diced evenly

1 large onion, roughly chopped

2 medium carrots, coarsely grated

100g unsmoked bacon lardons

1 tbsp sunflower oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 red chilli, finely chopped

1 chicken stock cube

120g Brussels sprouts, tops removed and cut into quarters

Sea salt & black pepper

1 small bunch fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Serves 4: Prep: 20 minutes. Marinate: 4 days. Sous vide: 5 hours 30 minutes

Cook: 35-40 minutes

Method

To cure the gammon, mix the dry curing ingredients well together and rub into the meat. Place in a sealable plastic container and keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. Remove, rinse in cold water and they’re ready for marinating before cooking.

To cook the shanks, preset your sous vide machine to 90°C. Place the washed gammons carefully in a vacuum sealing bag with the juniper berries and cinnamon stick (don’t overcrowd the bag-you don’t want the shanks sticking together when cooking). Warm the honey in a microwave for 20 second,s then mix 120g honey and ground cloves together in a bowl and pour into the bag with the shanks. Vacuum seal the bag. Place the bag in the sous vide machine for 5 hours 30 minutes. When cooked the shanks can be rapid-chilled in the bag (submerge in icy water to reduce the temperature quickly) before storing in the fridge. When ready to cook, pre-heat the oven to 200°C, remove the meat from the bag gently so it doesn’t fall off the bone, place on a non-stick baking tray coated in olive oil and drizzle with the rest of the honey. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, basting with the honey mixture to caramelise the outer crust of the shanks.

To cook the shanks (without a sous vide machine), pre-heat the oven to 140°C/275°F/gas mark 4. In a high-sided baking tray add the shanks, juniper berries, cinnamon stick, honey, ground clove and 250ml of cold water. Cover with tin foil and place in the oven for 2½ hours, removing from the oven and basting in the juices every 30 minutes. After 2½ hours remove the tray from the oven and discard the tin foil. Increase the heat to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 and cook for 30-35 minutes basting halfway through until golden brown and caramelized.

To make the bubble and squeak, parboil the potatoes so they still have a little bite. In a frying pan over a medium heat pan-fry the onion, carrot and lardons in a little sunflower oil until starting to brown. Add the garlic, chilli, crumbled stock cube and the sprouts. Cook for another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the potatoes and mix through. Turn the heat to high to create a crust on the bubble and squeak before turning over with a wooden spoon. Cook for another 8-10 minutes stirring occasionally to get some golden crust running throughout the bubble. Add the chopped parsley and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.