Before I ever had pork belly I used to ask myself ‘Why? Why would you want to eat pork belly?’. I get bacon – naturally smoked strips of pork belly, cooked until deliciously crisp – yummmmm. We’ve had many customers request pork belly so we felt we had to give it a go. The first time we cooked it – low and slow for a long time – it was great. I started to be a believer. In John’s ‘quest for the best’ attitude in cooking he has been tweaking this recipe every time he makes it – yesterday was the 5th or 6th time and let me tell you – he nailed it!! The key to the overwhelming success was the combination of awesome spicing and how he turned the rind into a true crackling top. It actually pops and crackles as it sets. Now let’s not be confused here – this is NOT a post about diet food – we are talking about eating delicious pork and fat – everything in moderation I say – this is a treat not a staple. And what a treat it is!!
Here’s how we do it:
- Preheat oven to Roast 450.
- Score the rind (top thick layer) of the belly. Make a grid pattern of approx. 1” squares. It is important to use a sharp serrated knife and cut right through the rind until you get to the meat (approx. ½ down). This part is pretty hard to do but makes a big difference in the end result.
- Grind up spices – we use a mortar and pestle to grind fennel and coarse sea salt. (2 parts fennel to 1 part salt)
- Put a bit of olive oil all over then rub spices all over – especially into the top of the making sure you get right into the scores you made in step 2. Left over fennel salt is also nice as a finishing salt when serving.
- Place belly on rack in roasting pan and pop in oven at Roast 450 for 5-10 minutes until the top is golden coloured.
- Turn oven temperature down to 300 and let bake for about 2 ½ hours.
- Turn oven on Broil for a few minutes until you see the top skin bubble up and separating. This is the part that makes the amazing crispy top!
- Take out of oven and let set for 15+ minutes – slice and serve – Decadent yumminess!
We keep the fat as we like to use it in other cooking so I always drain it off the pan and keep in the fridge. It is great for roasting veggies!