Pork belly and apple is an amazing combination that just works. By soaking the pork belly in brine for 24 hours you end up with a soft and succulent meat. By roasting your apples with the pork each person gets to enjoy this dish by slicing off pieces of soft apple as they go.
Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 10 minutes plus 24 hours marinating time
Cook Time: Until pork is meltingly tender (approx 2 hours)
Ingredients
- 1kg/2¼lb piece of pork belly
- ½ cup/140g/5oz of Sea Salt
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 4 star anise, crushed
- 1 bay leaf
- 200ml/7fl.oz Verjuice
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 small whole cooking apples
Method
- Score the skin of the pork belly, being careful not to pierce the flesh.
- In an airtight container large enough to hold the belly, place the salt, paprika, star anise, brown sugar, garlic and bay leaf.
- Top up container with cold water to cover the pork belly.
- Whisk brine to dissolve the salt.
- Place the pork belly in the brine skin-side down.
- Marinate for 24 hours.
- Remove the belly from the brine, rinse and pat dry.
- Allow pork belly to reach room temp and keep swabbing with paper towels – the drier the better.
- Pre-heat oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas mark 2.
- Peel the apples.
- Place the pork belly (flesh side down) and apples on a wire rack in a roasting tray.
- Combine vanilla and Verjuice.
- Pour vanilla and Verjuice mixture into bottom of roasting pan.
- Roast pork belly and apples for approximately 2 hours.
- The pork belly is cooked when the flesh comes away easily. Apples should be soft but still hold their shape.
- Remove apples from pan, increase oven temperature to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6 and leave for an additional 10 minutes.
- Make sure crackling goes crispy but does not burn.
- Serve with vegetables and enjoy the pork by slicing off bits of apple to go with it.
