Roast pork belly

This dish is everything one would look for in belly pork – crisp, salty crackling and sweet tender meat.  The herbs and garlic provide a perfect blend of flavours and aromas.  It is good hot but also excellent cold.

Preparation Time: 15 Mins

Cooking Time: 1½ Hrs

Total Time: 2¼ Hrs

Ingredients

For 4 servings…

100 gms           Salt          

1                    Belly pork  - scored   

  Olive oil         

1 bulb              Garlic  - cut in half    

3 sprigs            Rosemary   

3 sprigs            Thyme      

1 tsp               Fennel seeds           

4                    Peppercorns  - black  

For the sauce

                     Mustard  - whole grain

                     Cream  - double       

Method

Heat an oven to 220°C.

Salt the pork belly skin with 40 gms of the salt and leave for 10 minutes.  Pat it dry with a kitchen towel and repeat the process.  After the second time of patting dry, drizzle the meat with oil and salt the skin with the remaining 20 gms of salt.

Put the garlic bulb halves in a deep oven tray with the herbs, fennel seeds and peppercorns.  Place the pork on top, skin side up.

Put the tray in the oven for 40 minutes to allow the skin to get crispy.

Reduce the heat to 190°C and cook for 30 minutes.

Reduce the heat to 170°C and cook for a further 20 minutes.

Leave the meat to rest out of the oven for 30 minutes.

Use the cooking juices to make a simple sauce — just add a dollop of wholegrain mustard and a splash of double cream.

Wine recommendations

A robust red wine.

Conventional

     Côtes du Rhône

Interesting

     Corbières

     Côtes du Luberon

     Gaillac

     Lirac