Serves: 4 or 2 very indulgent individuals....
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 4 hrs
Ingredients
- Pork belly on the bone 4-5 ribs still in if you can. Free range please.
- 2 star anise
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 tbsp honey or brown sugar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 3/4 litre chicken stock (you may need more depending on your dish.
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- Juice of 1 ruby blood navel orange
- Zest of 1/2 the Blood orange.
- Sea salt & cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 220.
Dissolve the tomato paste into the stock and add all other ingredients to the pan except the pork. stir well to combine.
Score the pork belly in diagonals to allow for easy division of crackling later.
Rub the pork with oil and salt and place into the dish. You want the liquid to just cover the flesh but not the top layer of fat. You will always get a higher part if you are 'on the bone' so just cover up to it's lowest point. Top up with more stock if you need to.
Place in the oven and leave for about 20 minutes to crackle up. Once it has reached a good crisp turn the ovene doen to 160 and leave. Check after 2 hrs it may need foil to stop any burning leave for at least one hour, you are looking for the flesh to start to fall away very easily and the liquid to be reduced to a jus, If you need to go out just add more liquid and cover and it will be fine.
Serve with rice and Asian vegetables.