Meat Feasts! - Spectacular "Crackling" Roast Pork Belly!

Hey from EL The Cook!

Aren't we all a bit fat-fancy sometimes? Despite the ever increasing presence of fat-free chicken and low-fat meat, sometimes that old school spoon of butter satisfies the palette like no other!

No other dish glorifies fat on a plate than "Crackling" Roast Pork Belly. With its blistered skin, crunchier than an autumn leaf and a healthy layer of creamy fat beneath, "Crackling" Roast Pork Belly is utterly sinful!

There are 2 basic principles of getting crunchy, crispy crackling. The first is scoring the skin with a sharp knife. This lets air penetrate the skin, helping it traverse the skin allowing basting on the top.
The second is having super dry skin. You can achieve this by a couple of methods

1) Chinese Duck Cookery: The meat is kept in boiling water to allow the skin to shrink away from the fat. This must then be dried at least a couple of hours.

2) Drying by Physical methods: The skin is cleaned and wiped thoroughly with a paper towel or hair-drier. The meat is then stored in the confines of the fridge overnight in a dry tea towel.

Beware that upon making this recipe your kitchen will smell much like a pork-spa! However let the fragrance of the completed dish draw you to making an awesome dish! 

Here's what you'll need to make this crispy roast pork belly!

INGREDIENTS: (Serves 4)

 (Cook Time : 1 hour + 1 hour oven cooking)

• 500 gm pork belly/loin
• Sea salt
• 2 onions halved
• 2 carrots,peeled
• 6-7 pods of garlic 
• Fennel seeds
• 20 ml olive oil
• Freshly cracked black pepper

KITCHEN EQUIPMENT:

• Large vessel
• Standard/Fan Forced Oven
• A large pair of tongs
• Basting brush
• Chefs knife
• Serving platters
• Paper/Tea towels

METHOD:

• Place a large vessel of water to boil.
• Add the pork belly to the vessel of boiling water and boil for 25 minutes.
• Remove from boiling water. Dry thoroughly and ensure the skin is patted dry with a paper/ tea towel. Dry for 30 minutes.
• Remove the belly from the fridge, using the tip of the chefs knife, score the skin a diagonal manner. Repeat in the opposite manner, so you have diamond squares over the skin.
• Now smear the surface of the belly liberally with oil, and sprinkle generously with sea salt and fennel seeds.
• Slice your garlic & veggies and place them in a tray below the rack on which the pork belly will be roasting.
• Now turn on your oven, adjust the temperature to 350°C and let it scorch for 15 minutes.
• Turn the temperature down to 180°C and allow the skin to bubble and crisp up for about 45 minutes.
• Remove the pork from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes resisting the temptation to hear crunch!
• Serve with roasted veggies and a chilled beer!

A top-tip from EL The Cook! Really crispy delicious crackling depends of 2 important things a bone-dry skin and a blisteringly hot oven, the rest is a matter of personal taste!

Enjoy this luscious, fat-enriched, crunchy pork belly with family or friends this weekend!

Cheers from EL The Cook!