Slow-roast pork belly with spiced apple sauce
THIS method of roasting pork belly — hot to begin with, cooler for a longer period of time, then a hot blast at the end — guarantees the most excellent crispy crackling, as well as meltingly tender meat. It is important to score the skin with a very sharp knife before you cook the pork to achieve really crispy crackling. The cinnamon-spiced apple sauce is the perfect accompaniment. SERVES 6-8
1 pork belly on the bone, about 2-3kg Juice of ¼ lemon Sea salt 25ml vegetable oil
FOR THE APPLE AND CINNAMON SAUCE
500g dessert apples, such as Braeburn, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
½ tsp ground cinnamon Preheat the oven to 240c/220c fan/gas 9. Using a very sharp knife, score the skin of the pork belly widthways in lines that are about 1cm apart from each other, making sure that you don’t cut all the way through to the meat (otherwise it will burn).
Put the scored pork belly on a wire rack placed inside a roasting tray. Squeeze the lemon juice over the skin. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt evenly over that then pour the vegetable oil over.
Massage the salt, lemon juice and oil into the skin, making sure there are no puddles of oil left on top.
roast the pork belly in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the skin has started to crisp. reduce the oven temperature to 160c/140c fan/gas 3 and roast for a further 1 ½ hours, until the meat is cooked and tender.
Increase the oven temperature back to 240c/220c fan/gas 9 and roast for about 15 minutes more, to ensure the crackling is very crisp and deep golden in colour.
While the pork belly is roasting, make the apple and cinnamon sauce. Put the apples in a pan with 2-3 tablespoons of water. Cover and cook over a low heat for 10- 15 minutes, until the apples are soft and beginning to catch on the bottom of the pan (to add a bit of colour). add a little more water if necessary.
Once the apples are cooked, remove from the heat and stir through the cinnamon then blitz with a stick blender for a smooth sauce or leave whole for a chunkier consistency. Leave to cool.
Carve the pork and serve with the apple sauce, making sure everyone gets some crispy crackling, too.