Three-hour pork belly
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Ingredients
- 2 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 small bunch thyme, leaves only
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1½ -2 kg/3 lb 5 oz-4 lb 8 oz piece boneless pork belly, skin scored
- 2 lemons
Instructions
- Toast the fennel seeds and peppercorns in a dry frying pan for a couple of minutes. Pound them together in a pestle and mortar with some flaked sea salt, thyme and garlic to make a paste. Mix it with 2 tbsp of olive oil and rub it all over the flesh of the pork. Cover and chill, marinate it for a few hours or leave it overnight.
- When it is ready to cook, rub the skin of the joint with plenty of salt and 1 tbsp more of olive oil. Place it on a wire rack in a roasting tin and roast at 200C/180C fan/gas 6 for 30 minutes. After this, squeeze the lemons over the skin and turn the heat down to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Roast it further for 2 hrs. Finally, turn the heat back up to 220C/200C fan/ gas 7 and give it a final blast for another 30 minutes or so, to finish the crackling. Allow to rest somewhere warm for 20 minutes. Carve up into chunks or slices and serve it with the braised cabbage and bay-infused potatoes.Toast the fennel seeds and peppercorns in a dry frying pan for a couple of minutes. Pound them together in a pestle and mortar with some flaked sea salt, thyme and garlic to make a paste. Mix it with 2 tbsp of olive oil and rub it all over the flesh of the pork. Cover and chill, marinate it for a few hours or leave it overnight.
- When it is ready to cook, rub the skin of the joint with plenty of salt and 1 tbsp more of olive oil. Place it on a wire rack in a roasting tin and roast at 200C/180C fan/gas 6 for 30 minutes. After this, squeeze the lemons over the skin and turn the heat down to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Roast it further for 2 hrs. Finally, turn the heat back up to 220C/200C fan/ gas 7 and give it a final blast for another 30 minutes or so, to finish the crackling. Allow to rest somewhere warm for 20 minutes. Carve up into chunks or slices and serve it with the braised cabbage and bay-infused potatoes.