Easy Pork Belly
Serves 6
More effort
Prep:
Cook:
I always assumed cooking Pork Belly restaurant style was difficult, it was. After two failed attempts with the result being something resembling a piece of flattened coal, I gave it one more go using the boiling water method and it worked a treat. Try to get the pork belly from a butcher.
Skip to ingredients
- 2 kg butchers pork belly
- 2 teaspoons of sea salt
- 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
- Optional: Herb salt, e.g. Tuscan salt mix for a different flavour
Method
step 1
Take out the Pork Belly from the fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking. Preheat fan oven to 200c.step 2
Place a rack in the sink with the pork belly skin side up on it and pour a full kettle of boiling water gently over the skin. Pat dry and rub a desert spoon of oil all over the skin. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of sea salt all over while pushing into cuts. Optionally sprinkle your favourite spice or herb mix over too. Tuscan salt mix with lemon zest works well.step 3
Place the pork belly directly onto middle upper shelf in the oven using a deep tray underneath to catch the dripping fat. Cook for 15 minutes at this heat then lower the temperature to 160c for 2 hours.step 4
After 2 hours turn the heat up to 200c for a final hot blast to get the crackling up some more, around 10 to 15 minutes depending on your oven. This is more a visual step, keep an eye on it as it can quickly burn. Take out and leave to stand for 15 minutes..step 5
Optional: You can roast potatoes under the meat so the hot fat drips onto them. Add a little extra oil to the under tray, about 80 minutes before the end put par-boiled potatoes into the hot fat basting them all over. While the meat is resting, move the potatoes up a shelf to crisp off some more.
