2kg of pork belly

[Pferdestarke]

I am cooking this on monday night. It is currently sitting in the fridge with the skin drying out to hopefully achieve a perfect crackling.

The thing is, I am stumped on what to serve it with as it is so rich. I don't just want steamed greens or salad but feel roast potatoes or similar are a little rich and oily and not in contrast to the main component.

I may do a tabouleh and marinade the meat in some ground spices, or I could go down the Asian route and serve it with rice and a sticky soy, chili, ginger sauce.

Have you any other ideas guys?

Cheers

[calibrax]

Jacket potato.

[miniman]

I like pork belly with some oriental-style puy lentils. I can dig out the recipe if you like.

[Mobile Chicane]

Chunked and roasted vegetables: butternut squash, sweet potato, beetroot, red onion etc, tossed in a bit of olive oil, a crushed unpeeled garlic clove, plus some thyme.

[Don]

Creamy mashed potato is trhe perfect accompaniment to pork belly IMO and old Jamie Oliveoil agrees IIRC.

There is nothing like a piece of crispy, crunchy crackling with a tender piece of meat and a mouthful of mashed potato dipped in proper gravy made just from the pan juices and perhaps a bit of water from under the steamed vegetables.

Yummy.

I'm roasting leg of pork on Sunday. Mmmm.

[captainzep]

I think its all about balancing with a bit of acidity and some really simple clean flavours. Agree with perfect creamy mash but would add a couple of teaspoons of wholegrain mustard. Alternatively sautéed potatoes with a lots of lemon juice squeezed over them and a dusting of smoked paprika. Quick apple sauce with couple of knackered apples from bottom of fruit bowl with butter, squeeze of lemon and cinnamon. Some steamed greens, or simple peas cooked down with spinach and glass of white wine. Larvely.

[Pferdestarke]

Okay, here's what is underway:

• Removed the skin and put to one side to make crackling later.

• Seasoned the meat liberally.

• Placed it o a bed of spring onion and wrapped it tightly in heavy-duty foil.

• Cooked at 110c for 6 hours and allowed to cool.

• Poured off the stock to seperate liquid/fat. Removed spring onion and discarded.

• Placed between two plastic chopping boards to press, wrapped in clingfilm and refidgerated overnight. Weighted.

• Removed from fridge and cut in to 2cm2 chunks.

• Made a sauce from rice vinegar, honey, sugar, soy, ginger, chili, fish sauce, star anise, cinnamon, black pepper and the now jellified delicious pork stock.

• Cooked some basmati rice in the rice cooker

• Put salted skin in the oven to crackle.

• Sauteed the fatty pork pieces in a large non-stick pan to colour on all sides.

• Mopped excess fat with a few kitchen towels to leave a fairly dry pan.

• Added a few table spoons of the sauce to further caremelise the meat.

• Pour remaining sauce in the pan and warm through.

• Chop some fresh scallions and red chili.

• Toast some sesame seeds in a dry pan.

• Serve large portion of steamed rice on warmed plate.

• Place six peices of crisp, tender, browned pork belly over rice with lots of sauce.

• Sprinkle with chopped spring onion, chili and sesame seeds.

• Go back for seconds.

• Remember crackling and devour.

I can recommend this recipe. Due to the long and very slow cooking time and the fact that the meat was double-wrapped in foil preventing evaporation, you experience very little shrinkage. The stock is captured and also prevented from evaporating which also turned to jelly over night in the fridge.

Will post some pics tomorrow

[Pferdestarke]

miniman said:

I like pork belly with some oriental-style puy lentils. I can dig out the recipe if you like.

Hi Miniman. Thanks. I would love to see the recipe as I've never had oriental-style puy lentils before.

Cheers

[miniman]

OK here it is. Note this claims to be for 10 people hence why some of the quantities are high. However I normally halve it and two of us eat it. But then I am a fat knacker.

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
2 tbsp Chinese five spice powder
2 tbsp olive oil
1lb puy lentils, washed
3.5 pints stock (chicken, veal, whatever really)
small bunch chopped coriander

Sauté the onions, chillies and five spice powder in the olive oil, and the lentils and stock. Simmer for 40 minutes. Season and stir in the coriander.

It goes nicely with this pork belly dish (ditto the comments about the amounts):

3 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns, crushed
4 tsp black peppercorns
2 tbsp Chinese five spice powder
5lb piece thick boneless belly of pork

Place the spice ingredients into a heavy based pan and dry fry for a few seconds until darkened. Grind in a blender or with a pestle and mortar.

Rub the spices over the skin and flesh of the pork and season with salt and pepper. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 8 hours or ideally overnight.

Preheat the oven to 200C / Gas 6

Lay the pork on a rack inside a roasting pan, skin side up. Place a little water in the base of the pan and roast for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 180C / Gas 4 and roast for a further 2 hours, topping up the water as required.

Serve with the lentils and some sauteéd Pak Choi.

[Pferdestarke]

Thanks - I'll give it a try one day soon

[Cotty]

Pferdestarke said:

Thanks - I'll give it a try one day soon

Just not in one go.

[RonJohnson]

Crushed fennel seeds rubbed into all the scores in the fat work a treat on Belly Pork. As for what to go with it, i'm with the creamy mash suggestion. Simple but spot on.

[Murph7355]

Pferdestarke said:

...
Have you any other ideas guys?...

A large crusty loaf, a large pot of apple sauce, salt. And a roll of kitchen roll

[Pferdestarke]

As promised, a few images of the pork:

Amazing salty, crisp crackling


Tender, sweet, savoury, sticky and spicy pork with steamed rice.

[madbadger]

Spot on.

As a twist to mash with pork you can try apple mash.

Make mash as usual but in the latter part of the potato boiling add a diced and peeled cooking apple then mash it in when it is all cooked. Add mustard etc as normal.

[OliverTwist]

Looks really nice

[Mark Benson]

Pferdestarke said:

Tender, sweet, savoury, sticky and spicy pork with steamed rice.

That looks fantastic Tom, going to try that this weekend I think.

Any chance you could give approximate proportions of the sauce ingredients?

[Pferdestarke]

Mark Benson said:

Any chance you could give approximate proportions of the sauce ingredients?

Hi Mark,

Sure, here goes:

• As much pork stock as you can get your hands on with fat seperated and discarded (from the slow roast)
• 2 table spoons of honey (not the good stuff)
• 50g brown sugar
• 2 tbsp fish sauce, 4 of soy
• Chili powder to taste (don't be shy)
• 100ml or to taste of chinese rice vinegar (white)
• black pepper
• Slices of ginger, a piece of cinnamon bark and a star anise to infuse (watch the latter two as they can take over the other flavours - 30 mins should be enough)
• slaked corn flour to thicken at the end

Then just sautee a mixture of fresh chili, scallion, garlic and ginger to sprinkle on top as well as toasting some sesame seeds.

That ought to see you right.

Pictures please, but it's not a bloody competition Mr. Benson!



eta: a squeeze of tomato puree and some yellow bean paste were added too but these are optional and I am extravagant.

Edited by Pferdestarke on Wednesday 27th January 16:33

Edited by Pferdestarke on Wednesday 27th January 18:46

[zakelwe]

Is that our favourite pig again? He's got more posts than Garlick. He's really hogging the limelight. Or at least the lime.

Fantastic recipe and nice pic.

Andy

[Pferdestarke]

Actually Andy it's not Mark's pig. I was far too impatient and devoured the belly of that one within hours of getting him home.

This belly is one I bought from a small, family-run butcher's in Leek, Staffordshire whilst on my travels.

I still have some great joints left including some loin and a few half-shoulders which require 6+ guests to come and help. I'll be doing one in the next few weeks for my family as i have greedy uncles who love nothing more than a free feed courtesy of their beloved Nephew. The tight bds!