Roasted pork belly with tomato and cucumber relish
SERVES 4 // PREP TIME 40 MINS // COOK 40 MINS (PLUS BRINING, DRYING, RESTING)
“Although brining is another step, it allows meat to be evenly seasoned and keeps it juicy when cooking,” says Dunn. “The other benefit is that any leftovers will keep for longer. The relish comes from our preserves teacher at the cooking school, author Sally Wise.” Start this recipe three days ahead to brine and dry the pork.
225 gm fine salt
125 gm caster sugar 900 gm pork belly
TOMATO AND CUCUMBER RELISH
750 gm ripe red tomatoes,
coarsely chopped
250 gm onions, finely chopped 1 Lebanese cucumber, cut
into 1cm dice
1 large red capsicum, cored
and diced
250 gm white sugar
650 ml white vinegar
1 tsp brown mustard
½ tsp curry powder
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 To make brine, heat salt, sugar and 4 litres water in a large saucepan, stirring often, until salt dissolves. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate in a plastic container to chill.
2 Immerse pork belly in brine and refrigerate for 48 hours. Remove from brine, pat dry with paper towels and refrigerate uncovered skin-side up on a tray overnight.
3 For tomato and cucumber relish, place tomato and onion in separate bowls and scatter each with 1 tbsp salt. Leave for 2-3 hours, then drain. Combine tomato, onion, cucumber, capsicum, sugar, vinegar and spices in a large saucepan, bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until reduced and thickened (1-1¼ hours). Pour into sterilised jars (see cook’s notes p182) and cool, then seal. Relish will keep for up to a year in the pantry; refrigerate after opening.
4 Preheat oven to 190°C. Score pork skin at 5mm intervals with a sharp knife. Place skin-side up on a rack in a roasting tray and roast until meat is just cooked through, skin crackles and internal temperature reads
63°C on a meat thermometer (40-45 minutes). Rest in a warm place for 10 minutes, then carve and serve with relish and spring-green salad (see recipe opposite).
“When you look at our food it’s simple, but lots of components come together to create what’s on the plate.”