Caramelised pork belly

Stéphane makes this moist and tender pork by first gently poaching the pork in water with a bouquet garni. He then transfers the pork to the oven and transforms the skin into the best crackling on earth with honey, port, fennel seeds and cumin – it smells and tastes heavenly and the recipe is marvellously foolproof. Serve with any potato dish and roast vegetables or salad.

• serves

  6

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  1:15 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg piece of pork belly, bone in
• sea salt
• bouquet garni of bay leaves and sprigs of parsley, thyme, rosemary and sage (tied together with string)
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp white port
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

Instructions

Use a sharp knife to score the skin of the pork in a criss cross pattern. Place in a deep saucepan and sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt. Add the bouquet garni and cover the pork with water. Place a lid on the saucepan and bring to a simmer, cooking the pork for about 1 hour, until tender (the meat should start to come away from the bones.) Drain the pork.

 

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Combine the honey, port, fennel seeds, cumin and pepper in a bowl. Place the pork skin-side up on a rack set over a tray and spoon most of the marinade over the skin. Roast for around 15 minutes, basting a few times with extra marinade, until the skin is caramelised. Carve into thick slices and serve.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.