Pork belly is our favourite favourite... And it is so easy to make. It takes a few hours to cook, so tackle this when you have some time. The meat is very soft, due to the slow cooking time, and the top is deliciously crunchy with the crackling.
Ingredients to serve 4:
1kg to 1.2kg pork belly
1 lemon
Sea salt
When choosing your cut of meat, try and select one that has a fairly even layer of fat on the top and not too curly, otherwise the crackling doesn't come out evenly.
With a very sharp knife, score the skin and fat on top of the pork belly in "stripes" no wider than 1cm apart. Don't cut into the meat - just down to the end of the fat. Then, take about 1 generous tablespoon of sea salt and rub it all over the scored fat. Let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, to dehydrate the skin and fat. It helps with the crackling process.
Preheat the oven to 210'C.
Then, place the pork belly onto a rack in an oven proof dish.
Cook the pork belly, uncovered, for 30 minutes to seal it. The top will begin to crackle a little bit.
Then, pour the juice of one lemon over the crackling.
Cover the dish with foil. Turn down the oven to 150'C and cook, covered, for another 90 minutes.
At the end of the 90 minutes, turn the oven off, and leave the pork belly (still covered) in the oven for a few hours to rest. This is a very important part of the cooking process and ensures that the meat is lovely and tender.
Half an hour before you want to serve, you will do the crackling.
Remove the foil and set aside. Make sure that the oven rack is right at the bottom of your oven and turn the grill on.
Place the pork belly under the grill for between 15 and 20 minutes, depending on your grill, until it is evenly crackled all over. If you find that some spots a getting done quicker than others, just place a piece of foil over that part to prevent it from burning. Watch it carefully!
Serve immediately. I like to serve mine with apple sauce, mashed butternut squash and roasted sweet potatoes.
