To cook a pork belly

To roast a pork belly

First take your pork belly


Score the rind



Apply the seasonings to the meat side. In this case, salt, sugar, ground black pepper, fennel seed, coriander, szechuan peppercorns (spelling ?), ginger, clove and chilli.


Massage the aromatics in to the flesh, and leave it to do its thing for a few hours.


Turn the belly over. place it on a wire rack over the sink and pour boiling water over the scored rind. This opens up the slashes just nicely. Which promotes good crackling.


Then hang the meat up to dry.


Pig curtains.
And i left it there over night.


The next morning i give the rind a good oiling, and placed it on a trivet in a large roasting pan with a pint or so of water in the bottom to keep things nice and steamy.


The belly is placed into a hot oven ( 425°f ) for about 30 mins, look for signs that good crackling is on its way. at this point turn the oven down ( 325°f ) till cooked, this one was a further 2½ hours.


Crackling.


Doneness.


Money shot.

All at once rich, soft and melting, with a spicy kick and crackling crunch, Moist and crisp in the same bite. The fat from the edges is the best bit.

I first came across this way with a belly in London. We used to roast up a few for lunch. Served over buttery mashed potatoes braised cabbage and mustard gravy, or with celeriac fondants and grilled apples with calvados gravy. or.... or... the list goes on and on.

What we didn`t sell we would chill after service. And then the fun begins. Sliced and fried ( crackling removed, that that wasn`t already eaten ) with saute`d fingerlings and sprightly watercress with a sharp mustard dressing. Or sliced thinly on a deli slicer to be quickly grilled on a white hot ribbed grill pan to be paired with grilled squid and a asian vegetable salad. Partnered with Black pudding and melted onions in a sandwhich when the boss wasn`t looking.