Slow Pot-Roasted Belly of Pork

A great weekend dish; this requires time to cook but is worth the wait. The secret to a tender, melt in the mouth pork belly is time and a low temperature. The wine creates a tasty gravy.

Ingredients

• 1.2kg pork belly
• 50g unsalted butter
• 4 cloves
• 2 star anise
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• sprig of rosemary
• 80g carrots
• 80g banana shallots
• 80g celery
• 80g leeks
• course sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 200ml red wine
• 45ml soy sauce
• 500ml white chicken stock
• 1tsp coriander seeds

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C.
2. Open the belly of pork and rub with a generous amount of course sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
3. Roll the pork and tie with strings.
4. Wash and cut the carrots, celery, banana shallot and leeks all the same size.
5. Heat a heavy oven safe casserole dish, brown the pork with the butter until golden brown, set aside.
6. In the same dish brown the vegetables, coriander seeds, garlic, star anise and cloves.
7. Return the pork to the dish, deglaze with the soy sauce and the red wine.
8. Add the rosemary and bay leaf, bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes.
9. Add the chicken stock and bring the stock to the boil, cover the casserole dish with a lid and place it in the preheated oven.
10. Cook the pork for 2 hours.
11. After two hours, remove the dish ,set aside the the lid and turn the oven temperature to 200°C. Return the pork to the oven.
12. Cook for a further 45 minutes until the pork is golden brown. Remove the pork and let it rest for 10 minutes.
13. Pass the sauce through a fine sieve, bring to the boil in a small saucepan, reduce until thick and almost syrupy, monte a small knob of cold butter into the sauce to give it a shine.
14. Carve the pork and serve with the reduced sauce.

Serves approximately 4/5 people

Food Fanatics Tips

If you wish for a very crispy crackling place the belly under a preheated grill until the crackling starts to pop and sizzle, watch it closely as it does not take a long time and can burn if you do not take extra care.