Ok, in 5 minutes I will post an album with photos giving you a step-by-step guide to cooking perfect PORK BELLY every time. Crispy Skin Pork Belly, Step-by-Step I know I’ve done this before but here it is again. This is a simple and fool-proof method. Step-by-step, including photographs, your sure-fire way to get a beautifully ‘crackled’ Pork Belly with loads of flavour. This piece of Belly weighs 800g. Pre-heat your oven to 180’C The photos referred to below relate to the album, Crispy Skin Pork Belly (about to be posted) STEP 1 In a roasting tray or heavy based casserole dish scatter the following ingredients (as per PHOTO 1): Handful of thinly sliced fennel 1 inch length of fresh ginger, sliced Roots from 1 bunch coriander 2 bayleaves 4 Star Anise 10 Cardomom Pods 10 Cloves Crush the dry spices lightly in a mortar and pestle then scatter with the other ingredients. STEP 2 Score the skin of the belly in a criss-cross fashion; you will need a very sharp knife for this. Be careful to not cut through to the meat. Season the underside/meat side of the belly with sea salt and mixed spice. (Photo 2) Return the Belly to ‘skin side up’. Dry the skin with a paper towel and using a knife or spoon spread duck fat across the surface of the skin ensuring you get it into the score marks. Season with sea salt. Place the Belly on top of the ingredients/spices in the roasting tray and add enough bone broth to cover the about 10mm of the meat but avoiding the skin getting wet. (Photo 3) STEP 3 Place in the hot oven and cook until the crackle has ‘come up’ and is perfect all over. You may need to rotate the tray during cooking and you may also need to top-up the liquid levels. (PHOTO 4) All ovens are different and have varying hotspots so check the meat regularly. This vigilance is rewarded with the final product being evenly crispy and succulently moist throughout. In my home oven this piece of Belly took 1 hour 40 minutes at this temperature and had to re-fill with bone broth twice. STEP 4 At this stage cover the belly in the tray with a lid or foil to prevent the crackle colouring any further. Reduce the heat to 140’C and continue to cook until the meat has had 2 ½ to 3 hours total cooking time. STEP 5 Remove the cooked belly from the roasting dish and place on an appropriate tray or other roasting dish. Cover with foil, baking paper or a plastic bag and then press a weight onto the belly forcing it to compress to a consistent thickness. I have used a 5kg weight from a dumbbell set however a brick, saucepan full of water, heavy cutting board or paving stone will work. (Photo 4) Leave for a minimum of 30 minutes. STEP 6 Strain the remaining cooking liquid from the roasting tray into a saucepan and add a little more bone broth (depending on how much sauce you will require). Add 2-3 more Star Anise, slightly ground in a mortar and pestle and cook the sauce down to a desired consistency. Strain and set aside. (PHOTO 5) STEP 7 The Belly should still be warm so will only require a little re-heating. On a clean cutting board turn the belly onto it’s ‘crackle’ and cut through the meat into required portions. (PHOTO 6) Place these on a tray a heat under a griller, ensuring you don’t burn the crispy skin. Serve with The Star Anise sauce, Beetroot Jam and Roasted Veg. BEETROOT JAM I promise, this jam is amazing! A little time consuming but so worth it. I make double this recipe and keep jars of it in the fridge. Covered with a layer of olive oil it will keep for months. 60g Coconut oil 175g Spanish onion, roughly chopped 150g Red capsicum, roughly chopped 35g Garlic cloves, roughly chopped 70g Fresh Ginger, roughly chopped 125g Cherry tomatoes 250g Grated Beetroot 2 tbs Coriander roots and stalks, diced Pinch sea salt 75g Raw organic honey 75ml Extra virgin olive oil I have included step-by step photos for this recipe so you can get a guage if it is working out correctly. Melt the coconut oil in a heavy based pan over med-high heat. Add the onion, capsicum, garlic and ginger and allow to cook until well caramelised. Strir occasionally with a wooden spoon. It is important to allow the vegetables to get dark enough. This will ensure the jam develops depths of flavours and doesn’t end up too sweet. Add the cherry tomatoes, reduce the heat to low and cook for a further 10 minutes. Add the beetroot and cook for 5 minutes. Add the coriander and a good pinch of sea salt and cook a further 5 minutes. Finally, add the honey and stir slowly with a wooden spoon while it continues to cook for a further 3-4 minutes. The mix should now look a deep purple colour and have a ‘jammy’ appearance. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes then olive oil and puree. Pour into sterilised jars, cover with a layer of olive oil and allow to cool completely. Store in the fridge.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Jul 2014 09:42:27 +0000