Crispy Pork Belly – A fennel good time

Roasted pork belly with fennel is one of life’s pleasures. More often than not, pork belly is roasted for special occasions or Sunday lunch with the family. Our fennel-infused Crispy Pork Belly recipe will be the perfect accompaniment to a big day of eating.

Our juicy, roasted pork belly with crispy crackling and aromatic fennel flavour is simply irresistible. The recipe calls for deboned pork belly as it makes carving much easier. However, if you can’t find a deboned pork belly, bone-in pork belly works just as well. You can slice the rib bones away once it’s finished cooking.
Pork belly goes great accompanied by delicious potatoes pre-cooked and finished off in some of the pork belly fat. You can also add sides like spinach with cream, pumpkin mash or something light like a garden salad.

Crispy Pork Belly, infused with fennel, is so tasty that you would want to classify it as a wonder of the world. But, for now, eat and be merry.

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Crispy Pork Belly with fennel

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Recipe by Irene Muller Course: MainCuisine: GlobalDifficulty: Moderate

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking Time

2 ½

hours

Total Time

3

hours

Ingredients

• 1 kg pork belly

• 1 whole fennel bulb (trimmed and roughly sliced)

• 4 bay leaves

• 3 garlic cloves (peeled and bashed)

• 1 tsp cardamom pods (bashed)

• 4 star anise

• 1 tbsp fennel seeds

• 500 ml white wine

• 750 ml chicken stock (depending on the size of your pan)

• 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

• olive oil

• sea salt & black pepper

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180°C /356°F
• Score the pork belly skin diagonally in a diamond pattern at 1½ cm intervals. Season generously with salt and pepper, rubbing it well into the skin.
• Add the fennel, bay leaves, garlic, cardamom, star anise and half the fennel seeds into a hot roasting tray on the hob with a little oil and heat for about 2 minutes until aromatic.
• Scoop the ingredients to the side of the tray, add the pork skin down and braze until golden brown. Turn the pork over, season the skin again with salt and sprinkle with the remaining fennel seeds. Get some of those fennel seeds in the groves. Move the pork to the side of the tray.
• Pour in the wine, deglaze the pan, scraping up the bits from the bottom, keeping the skin dry, add the chicken stock, slide the pork back to the middle, bring to the boil, make sure you add enough stock it must be just under the layer of skin.
• Transfer the tray to the preheated oven.  For about 20 minutes turn the setting of the oven to grill, that will ensure the best crackling. You need to watch this process and then turn the oven setting back to 180°C /356°F. Cook for about 2 hours or until meat is done.
• When done Transfer the meat to a warm plate and set aside to rest.
• Optional: Scoop off any excess fat in the roasting tray with a spoon or drag a slice of bread along the surface of the cooking juices, just to absorb the excess fat.
• Heat the baking tray on the hob, adding the mustard. Mix, then taste and adjust the flavours to taste.
• Strain the sauce, make sure to get all those little bits strained and pour in a jug.
• Optional: Slice the pork belly, place back into the roasting tray and grill it for a few minutes to get it all crispy.  Delicious with the sauce.

Notes

• Serve the rested pork with the sauce alongside.

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