How to cook Pork Belly
Cook: Place pork belly in a roasting or baking dish and place on the middle rack in a hot oven (220°C/430°F) to roast for 30 minutes. Turn the heat down to 160°C/320°F and continue roasting for 25 minutes per 500g/1lb until it reaches 62°C/145°F on a meat thermometer.
Allow to rest: Remove the cooked pork from the oven, tent loosely with foil and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before carving and serving. Resting the meat after cooking is the most important step in the whole cooking process.
A nice way to cook pork belly
Ingredients
1.3kg piece pork belly, boned, rind left on and scored (ask your butcher to do this)
2 tsp sunflower oil
1 tsp white peppercorns, crushed
3 large onions, sliced
2-3 tbsp clear honey
2 tsp ground cumin
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
Method
STEP 1
Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Lay the pork, skin-side up, on a rack in a roasting tin. Trickle with a little oil, then lightly press on the crushed peppercorns and a sprinkling of coarse sea salt. Place in the oven, then cook for 1 hr. Remove from the oven and baste with the juices. Continue to cook for a further 1½ hrs, basting every 20 mins.
STEP 2
Put the sliced onions in the roasting tin under the pork. Mix the honey together with the cumin and chilli, brush it over the pork, then increase the oven to 200C/fan 180C/ gas 6. Cook for a further 30-40 mins, basting occasionally, until caramelised with a rich, golden glaze over the pork. Once cooked and tender (this can be easily tested by piercing the flesh with a knife), remove pork from the oven, then leave to rest for 10-15 mins.
STEP 3
While the pork is resting, heat the tin on the stove with the onions, adding 2 tbsp water. This will lift any residue from the pan, creating a moist cooking liquor. Season the onions with salt and pepper, then divide between 6 plates. Carve pork into 6 portions, then serve on top of the onions. Pour any remaining liquor over and serve with the Pumpkin mash (below).
