Roast pork belly with apple and brussels sprout slaw

LOCATION: Tamar Valley

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg piece pork belly, scored 5 mm apart
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 ½ tbsp sea salt
• 2 cups (500 ml) fresh orange juice
• ⅓ cup (80 ml) Chinese rice wine shaoxing
• 4 cm knob ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 small orange, halved
• 1 cup (220 g) caster sugar
• ¼ cup (60 ml) light soy sauce

Brussel sprout and apple slaw

• 500 g Brussels sprouts
• 6 spring onions, thinly sliced into coins
• 2 red apples, cored, cut into matchsticks
• ½ cup fresh coarsely chopped coriander
• ⅓ cup (80 ml) fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

If you are making this recipe, you'll need to start the recipe 1-3 days ahead. This is to dry the skin out in the fridge, reducing the moisture for optimum crunch in your crackling.

Chilling time: 1-3 days

Instructions

1. Place pork on a rimmed baking tray. Pat skin dry with paper towel. Place pork in the fridge, uncovered, 1-3 days to dry out skin.
2. Remove the pork from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking to come to room temperature.
3. Preheat the oven to 250°C (230°C fan-forced). Place the pork in a flameproof roasting dish, skin-side up, then rub the oil over the skin and sprinkle with the salt. Roast for 1 hour or until the skin is crispy.
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C (140°C fan-forced). Add the orange juice, Chinese rice wine shaoxing, 2/3 cup (180 ml) water, sliced ginger, cinnamon stick and peppercorns to the pan (make sure the liquid doesn’t touch the pork crackled skin). Add the halved oranges cut-side up to the pan. Roast, checking halfway through if you need to top up slightly with water, for 2 hours or until the pork is tender.
5. When the pork is done. Finely shred the Brussels sprouts and place in a large bowl. Add the spring onion, apple and coriander. Whisk together the lemon juice and oil in a small jug. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Transfer the pork to a plate and cover loosely with foil to rest. Pour the cooking liquid through a fine sieve into a heatproof jug. Discard the solids. Pour back into the roasting pan or a saucepan. Add the sugar and soy sauce. Stir to combine. Transfer the roasting pan or saucepan to the stove top. Cook over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to high and bring to the boil. Boil, without stirring, for 8-10 minutes or until the mixture thickens and becomes syrupy.
7. Place the pork on a chopping board and cut into thick slices. Place on a platter with the oranges and drizzle with orange syrup. Pour the lemon juice mixture over the slaw and toss to combine. Serve the slaw with the pork.