Recipe Time: Honey Maple Glazed Roast Pork + I’m off to Japan

Whenever the winter months hit, my buds aka the taste buds start begging for a roast dinner. Ahuh…So long as a hunk O meat, of any sort, comes out of the oven –  my shameful air guitar moves begin their journey to stardom. Did I say shameful? I meant downright embarrassing. Think Wayne’s World but worse.

Bored of the usual salted crackling, I opted for sweeter side of life by grabbing whatever I can out of the pantry that would usually be reserved for pancakes: a jar of honey and Canadian maple syrup. I was seriously excited about this combination as I pictured the slightly burnt edges. It would also save you from making any apple sauce or gravy considering the meat’s juices would suffice here.

I also imagined some Sweet Potatoes lathered up in butter and doused with salt flakes as opposed to using regular potatoes. Fortunately, this was also in the pantry. Phew…

Zee Ingredients


Serves 8-10

1 small whole, boned shoulder of pork, about 6-7lb (2.75-3.25kg) in weight

4 tablespoons of olive oil

4 Table spoons of Honey

3 Tablespoons of Maple syrup

1 tablespoon of bi carb soda

Salt Flakes

Ripened Tomatoes

Sweet Potatoes

Butternut Pumpkin

Zee Procedure

Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas. If you are using a fan forced oven, this would be perfect as it would help draw the moisture out of the skin- which increases its chances of being super crisp.

Prep work

Placing the beast over a trivet, pour boiling water (at full kettle capacity) over the pork. Pat dry with some kitchen paper.

On a clean surface, or better yet, on a chopping board, place the pork skin-side upwards. Using a sharp knife, make several scores throughout – roughly a centimeter apart through the skin into the fat. Be careful not to cut into into deep. Should the string be still tied, leave this as it is and try not to cut into it.

Next comes the fun part where get to play rub and dub dub with the crackling to be. Start rubbing in the four tablespoons of oil throughout the surface. Then, firmly rub the salt flakes into the scores you so skillfully made earlier and start dousing the surface with the bi carb soda.

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How to make roast pork

Uncovered, place the pork onto a roasting tray and roast for 30 minutes until you see that the skin has started to crackle and pop. Take the pork from the oven, pour over the combined maple syrup and honey as well as a tablespoon of oil. Reduce the oven temperature to 180ºC/360ºF so not to burn the skin. Add the veggies then roast for a further 70 minutes or longer if you like your meat a little tough.

When it’s at 170 degrees or slightly higher on a meat thermometer, it’s done baby. If its starts to get brown on the outside, all good yo. I consider that to be pork gold- you’ll see why. Make sure you keep these pieces to yourself whilst you explain to your guests that these are the ‘bad cuts’ and will be given to the dog. My friends had better not be reading this post as I will be in deep trouble. Bah!

Play a little ‘knock knock who’s there’ with the skin to see if it’s nice and crackly. If not, roast for a further 5-10 mins on 220°C/425°F.

Let it rest

Once out from the oven, cover the roasting pan with foil and set it aside to rest for about 10 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to settle, which helps keeps the meat succulent baby!

You’ve been served!

Apart from the sweet crackling, my favourite part of this meal would be the roasted whole tomatoes. The hot and tangy juices help to further moisten each mouthful. Who needs gravy?!

Honey and Maple Glazed Roast Pork

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How to make roast pork

So um, how do you roast your pork?

I’m off to Japan!

As some of you may have guessed from my twitters lately, I’m off to the land of Sake and Sashimi, Japan. I’m doing the usual trips to ancient Kyoto, neon lit Tokyo and Osaka. From there, I will be jet-setting across the ocean to my country of birth, Philippines for another few weeks to  see my relatives for the first time.

I’ll be updating the blog sporadically over the next month but will likely be twittering more than anything else!

See you all when I’m back!

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23 thoughts on “Recipe Time: Honey Maple Glazed Roast Pork + I’m off to Japan

  1. Sounds like an interesting combination.

    So jealous, I want to go to Japan one day too. Remember to take lots of photos of all the delicious ramen. You must go on a ramen hunt and try all the different flavours.

  2. Hey Pens- hehe, thanks!! Will tweet!

    Hey Amy- I can’t wait. I’ll be eating alot that’s for sure!

    Hey Thanh- of course! I bought a new SD card for the camera – 16GB baby!

    Hey Agnes- Weight gain is guaranteed upon my return. 🙂

    Hey Shellie- Thanks- yes, I will try everything!!

    Hey Conor- aww, thanks. I had to satisfy my sweet tooth! Thanks, will have a ball

    Hey Ellie- Cheers! I crave roast in winter and chocolate, and anything sweet really!!!

    1. Hey Lorraine- I loved the sweet combo. Made the crackling nice and sticky too! Thanks, there will be be many posts no doubt

    1. Hey April- I think we should all go up to Japan together. In fact, I think we should do a world food tour!! Start saving, and we’ll check back in 5 years to see if we have enough LOL

    1. Hey Trissa- You betcha! I can’t wait. Although, given that I’ve had a fare few filo parties these past few weeks, my belly is aching….LOL Too much empanadas and pork.

    1. Hey Maria- You can have pork at least 3 times a week. Maybe not so much the crackling though 🙂 Thanks, I will! Holla when I’m back!

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