Pork belly? What to do with it?
Discussion
This is a favourite in our house. The addition of the lemon juice really lifts it: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/three-hour-por...
Mr Penguin said:
Do you have a good recipe for the stew?
This is a base recipe which I start with, and alter depending on which flavours I want. That looks like a 1.5-2kg piece of meat so these quantities are for that amount. Take the skin off the meat and cut into 2-3cm cubes.
Gently fry two medium/one large onion, diced, in a deep sided pan for 8-10 minutes until golden. If it's burning, the heat is too high.
While that is cooking, start colouring the meat in a medium heat frying pan, in a few batches. Use a little neutral oil (not olive) to start with. Cook until all sides have a decent colour on them.
Add 1 tbsp each cumin, cardamom, sage (or whichever green herb you prefer), let cook one minute until fragrant. Can also add some chili flakes if that's to your taste. Sriracha works really well with this, in that case add it towards the end.
Drain three tins butter beans and add.
Add the pork.
Add 1.5 litres chicken stock. Cubes or ovals is fine, so long as in the correct ratio. The stock should be enough to cover the ingredients.
Optional: Worcester sauce, brown sugar, hoi sin/oyster sauce
Can also add tomatoes (fresh, tinned, passata) if you like. If so reduce the amount of stock. Adding them will tilt it towards a baked bean sauce.
Cooking
On the hob: Cover and bring to a slow simmer. Stew for at least 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. If it sticks, lower the heat. Add more liquid as needed.
In the oven: once assembled, pop in the oven at 140C fan, check and stir once an hour.
Score it and salt with fine salt it on top and keave uncovered in the fridge overnight.
Rinse off the salt with a kettle full of boiling water
Pat it all dry
Resalt with coarse sea salt and black pepper
Place on a grill pan laying the pork skin side up and flat on the grill.
Put in the oven at 230c for 20mins
Turn down to 140c for 3-4 hours basting occasionally
Add a few root vegetables under the grid to help impart flavour.
Rinse off the salt with a kettle full of boiling water
Pat it all dry
Resalt with coarse sea salt and black pepper
Place on a grill pan laying the pork skin side up and flat on the grill.
Put in the oven at 230c for 20mins
Turn down to 140c for 3-4 hours basting occasionally
Add a few root vegetables under the grid to help impart flavour.
There's plenty of nice traditional ways to cook it, but just throwing it out here, I had some pork belly about 6 months ago and followed a recipe online for cooking it in the air fryer with a chinese hoi sin dressing and it was delicious. Perfectly tender where you want it to be tender, and crispy elsewhere. I think the air fryer is very well suited for that kind of thing where you want a crispy skin.
carguy45 said:
There's plenty of nice traditional ways to cook it, but just throwing it out here, I had some pork belly about 6 months ago and followed a recipe online for cooking it in the air fryer with a chinese hoi sin dressing and it was delicious. Perfectly tender where you want it to be tender, and crispy elsewhere. I think the air fryer is very well suited for that kind of thing where you want a crispy skin.
Indeed. I get a piece from Sainsbury's, normally about £4-5.Score it with a Stanley blade, salt it, place it in the air fryer at 200deg for an hour.
Best ever pork, perfect crackling. Serve it with mash and shredded cavolo nero.
Baldy881 said:
Thanks for the ideas, no smoker I'm afraid. Favouring the 3 hour cook as the recipe that suggests removing the skin (and all that potential crackling?!) just does not seem right! lol
You can cook the skin on its own. Guarantees crunch. Lots of fat renders out for future roasties 
RECIPE: SLOW ROAST BELLY PORK
Preparation time 5 minutes
Cooking time 3hr 10min minutes
Belly pork
Onions, sliced
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Honey/Maple syrup
Roast tin and rack
Basting brush
Oven on to Gas4
Score skin with sharp knife.
Put sliced onions in tin
Put meat in the tin on the rack, skin side up.
Brush with oil and season with salt and pepper.
Cook for 1 hr
Baste with juices and then back into the oven for 1.5 hours basting every 20 minutes.
Brush the skin with 2 tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
Increase oven to Gas6 and cook for 40 minutes
Take pork out to rest for 10/15 minutes
Deglaze pan with onions in with 2tbsp water, season with salt and pepper and divide the onions on to the serving plates.
Serve with stuffing, apple sauce, sweet potato mash and tender-stem broccoli.
Preparation time 5 minutes
Cooking time 3hr 10min minutes
Belly pork
Onions, sliced
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Honey/Maple syrup
Roast tin and rack
Basting brush
Oven on to Gas4
Score skin with sharp knife.
Put sliced onions in tin
Put meat in the tin on the rack, skin side up.
Brush with oil and season with salt and pepper.
Cook for 1 hr
Baste with juices and then back into the oven for 1.5 hours basting every 20 minutes.
Brush the skin with 2 tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
Increase oven to Gas6 and cook for 40 minutes
Take pork out to rest for 10/15 minutes
Deglaze pan with onions in with 2tbsp water, season with salt and pepper and divide the onions on to the serving plates.
Serve with stuffing, apple sauce, sweet potato mash and tender-stem broccoli.
Twice cooked belly pork is really nice:
Remove the skin. Cut the meat into 2cm cubes. Boil in water for 10 mins, drain thoroughly.
In a large wok/pan fry chopped garlic, ginger and spring onions in a spoonful of oil on a high heat until dark. Add a tablespoon of brown sugar. Add the the pork and fry until going brown. Turn down the heat and add a cinnamon stick, 3-4 star anise, a red chilli, and 2 tablespoons each of light soy, dark soy and shaoxing wine. add around 500ml of stock (chicken or veg). Stir, cover and leave to simmer for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally.
Remove lid and turn up heat for last 10 minutes of cooking to reduce the liquid to a nice glossy sauce.
Serve with rice or noodles, with some chopped spring onions and sliced chillies on top
Remove the skin. Cut the meat into 2cm cubes. Boil in water for 10 mins, drain thoroughly.
In a large wok/pan fry chopped garlic, ginger and spring onions in a spoonful of oil on a high heat until dark. Add a tablespoon of brown sugar. Add the the pork and fry until going brown. Turn down the heat and add a cinnamon stick, 3-4 star anise, a red chilli, and 2 tablespoons each of light soy, dark soy and shaoxing wine. add around 500ml of stock (chicken or veg). Stir, cover and leave to simmer for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally.
Remove lid and turn up heat for last 10 minutes of cooking to reduce the liquid to a nice glossy sauce.
Serve with rice or noodles, with some chopped spring onions and sliced chillies on top
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