Roast pork belly with fennel seeds

There are numerous ways of cooking belly pork – fast; slow; highly flavoured with herbs and spices; without flavours.  The best ways are those that produce good crispy crackling.  This method takes a medium length of time but starts really hot to bring on the crackling.  Fennels seeds, the flavour of which pairs extremely well with pork, attaches confers some moderate flavouring.

Preparation Time: 15 Hrs

Cooking Time: 3 Hrs

Total Time: 4¼ Hrs

Ingredients

For 6 servings…

2 cloves           Garlic       

                      Salt          

1 tbs               Fennel seeds  - ground          

1½ kgs           Belly pork  

                      Olive oil    

150 ml             Sherry  - fino          

                      Pepper  - black        

1 splash           Water       

Method

Preheat the oven to 230°C.

Crush the garlic with some salt, mix with the fennel seeds and rub over the flesh of the belly.  Dry the skin of the pork thoroughly and generously sprinkle salt (about one tablespoon) all over the scored skin.  Leave for half an hour, then dust off any excess salt.

Transfer the pork to a large roasting tin greased with olive oil and place in the oven.

Roast at this high heat for a good 30 minutes until hard crackling has formed, then turn the heat down to 190°C.  Continue cooking for another 2 to 2½ hours until the meat is soft and tender.

Remove the meat from the oven, transfer to a chopping board and leave to rest - loosely covered with foil to keep warm, for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the gravy.  Pour off any excess oil and place the roasting tray on a hob on a low to medium heat.  Deglaze with Sherry and scrape the juices off the bottom of the pan. Simmer for a couple of minutes to reduce the alcohol, then taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.  If it tastes too strong, add a splash of water.  Keep hot until ready to serve.

Wine recommendations

A powerful red wine.

Conventional

     Côtes du Rhône Villages

Interesting

     Châteauneuf-du-Pape

     Cornas

     Côtes du Luberon

     Fitou

     Rasteau