Perfect Roast Pork Belly With Cabbage And Bacon Recipes

SLOW-ROASTED CRISPY PORK BELLY

Steps:

• Dry skin overnight: Place pork belly on a plate. Pat skin dry with paper towels. Leave uncovered in fridge overnight to dry out the skin. (If you don't have time, pat the skin dry as best you can).
• Preheat oven to 140°C/285°F (120°C fan).
• Season flesh: Drizzle flesh (only) with 1 tsp oil. Sprinkle over 1/2 tsp salt, the pepper and fennel powder. Rub all over the flesh, including on the sides, being sure you get right into all the cracks and crevices.
• Wrap in foil: Place 2 pieces of foil on a work surface. Put the belly in middle of foil, skin side up. Fold the sides in to enclose the belly, forming an open box, pinching corners to seal tightly and make it as snug as possible. Place meat on a tray.
• Season skin: Pat skin dry with paper towels. Rub with 1/2 tsp oil then sprinkle remaining 1/2 tsp salt evenly all over the skin surface, from edge to edge.
• Slow roast 2 1/2 hours: Place in the oven and roast for 2 1/2 hours. After 1 1/2 hours, remove and tighten the foil (pork will have shrunk), and continue cooking. This keeps the pork fat level up as high as possible, and the flesh protected so it stays moist.
• Increase heat: Remove pork from oven, then increase heat to 240°C/465°F (all oven types).
• Level pork: Remove pork from foil and place on a rack set over a tray (using rack is best, but optional). Use scrunched up balls of foil stuffed under pork to prop up so the skin surface is as level and horizontal as possible (see photos in post).
• 30 minutes on high heat! Place the pork back in the oven for 30 minutes, rotating after 15 minutes as needed, until the crackling is deep golden, puffy and crispy all over. If some patches are browning faster, protect with foil patches.
• Rest 10 minutes: Remove pork from oven. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
• Serving: Slice into 2cm / ⅘"-thick slices using a serrated knife. Pictured in post with Apple Sauce and Vermouth Jus, with a side of Cauliflower Puree (Note 2)! See directions in post for how to plate it up as pictured (fine dining style!), as well as a list of more sauce options.

PORK BELLY & CABBAGE

Steps:

• 1. Peel the garlic clove and cut it into 4 lengthways. Make an incision in each piece of pork and push a sliver of garlic into each one. Season them all over with salt and freshly ground black pepper. 2. Melt the butter in a large flameproof casserole and brown the pork all over (if your pan is not large enough for the meat to brown in one layer, brown it in a roasting tin and then transfer to a casserole and pour the fat over). 3. Cut the cabbage in half with a sharp knife. Remove the hard central core and ribs and cut the cabbage into thin wedges. Add the black peppercorns, caraway seeds and salt to taste and pack around the pork in the casserole. 4. Cover the casserole tightly, place over a low heat and simmer very, very gently for 1 1/2 hours, stirring from time to time to prevent the cabbage and pork from sticking to the bottom. Do not add any water unless absolutely necessary; the cabbage should cook in its own juices and those of the pork. 5. Ten minutes before the end of the cooking time heat a large, shallow serving dish. When the pork and cabbage are tender, arrange a bed of cabbage on the dish and place the pork on top. Skim any fat from the remaining pan juices and pour over the entire dish. Serve very hot, garnished with celery leaves. serving amount serves 4