There are few things in this world more wonderful than melt in the mouth, slow cooked pork, combined with the satisfying crunch of salty, golden crackling. This slow roast belly pork takes time – 6 hours in fact, plus resting – but is an absolute joy to eat.
You can cook pork in a variety of ways. You can braise pork belly, you can barbecue pork loin, you can griddle pork chops. But of all the pork recipes out there, this may well be the best.
The cooking of the pork is very straightforward. Not many ingredients are required. The key to the crackling and the tender meat is how you adjust the temperature on your oven, with a few key timings.
The Ingredients
- Pork belly – this recipe will work for a pork belly which is 1 to 2 kg in size – it’s quite a forgiving recipe and the instructions work for a variety of sizes. Make sure it has a nice thick layer of fat on top.
- Onion and garlic – to lay at the bottom of the pan. This helps to make sure the pork doesn’t stick to the bottom and, of course, adds plenty of flavour.
- Sherry – for sweetness and richness. Don’t want to use sherry? You can switch for red wine or just extra stock.
- Chicken stock – or water and a chicken stock cube. Vegetable stock would also work.
- Fennel seeds and salt – to rub into the top of the pork and inject it with flavour!
Serve With
This pork belly is perfect as a centrepiece for a roast dinner, and is special enough to served on special occasions like Easter, Mother’s Day or thanksgiving. You could try some of these side dishes with it:
- The Most Incredible Stir Fried Kale
- Welsh Style Potato Dauphinoise (Potato au Gratin)
- Incredible Truffle Mash
- Classic Braised Red Cabbage
- Carrot and Potato Gratin
6 Hour Slow Cooked Pork Belly
Ingredients
- 1.5 kilograms belly pork
- 3 onions
- 3 cloves garlic
- 200 millilitres sherry
- 1 litre chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 240 degrees Celsius.
- Get a high sided roasting dish. Cut the onions in half and place in the dish along with the garlic cloves (no need to peel either of these). Place the pork belly on top, fat side up.
- Pour the sherry and chicken stock into the roasting dish.
- If your butcher hasn’t scored the top of your pork belly, score deep lines about 1 inch apart, then sprinkle over the salt and fennel seeds. Rub them into the score marks.
- Put in the oven and cook for 20 minutes until the fat starts to crisp, then turn the heat down to 130 degrees and cook for 5 hours.
- Remove from the oven and drain the liquid from the bottom of the pan (you can use this for gravy). Turn the heat back up to 220 degrees Celsius, then return the pork to the oven for 35 more minutes until the crackling is golden and crisp.
- Remove from the oven and rest for 20 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- You can use a pork belly any size between 1-2kg for this recipe, no need to adjust any of the other ingredients.
More pork recipes:
- Easy Pork Dan Dan Noodles
- 15 Minute Pork and Pineapple Tacos
- Smoky Pork and Black Bean Tacos
- Slow Cooked Chinese Style Pork with Lo Mein
Delicious!
That crackling should win medals! You’re going to love it