I always thought of pork as a pretty dry tasteless meat until I met pork belly. Now it’s a fatty cut, so not necessarily the healthiest, but cut the excess fat off and serve it with plenty of green veg and it’s a delight.
As we cut off the excess fat I didn’t bother crisping up the skin, but if you do want to eat the crackling then feel free to do so.
- 1kg (2.2lbs) belly pork in one piece
- 1 small bunch each of parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- Salt and pepper
- ½ litre (1 pint) Water or stock (bone broth)
- Pre-heat the oven to 200C
- Remove the leaves from the rosemary, sage and thyme and chop finely
- Roughly crush the fennel seeds and add to the herbs
- Season the pork on both sides
- Add the herb mixture to the meat side and roll the joint with the herbs inside the roll (secure with butcher string if desired)
- Place the joint in a roasting tin and carefully add the water or stock
- Cover the tin in foil and ensure it is well sealed to keep the steam in
- Place the tin in the oven and immediately turn down to 150C and cook for at least 4 hours until the meat is soft and pulls apart easily.Check sporadically and add more water if it is getting dry.
- Once cooked remove the joint and put to one side to rest. Pour the juices from the pan into a jug and allow to settle. Skim off most of the fat. To the remaining juices add the parsley, finely chopped. If you wish you can thicken into a sauce with a little cornflour, but I normally just serve the meat with the juices drizzled over.
FODMAP// Ensure you use homemade stock (bone broth) which has been made without onions/garlic or just use water.
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I will share this with:
Cooking with Herbs from Lavender and Lovage as the October challenge was to use the herbs from the Scarborough Fair song (a traditional English ballad) – parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.
Simple and in Season from Ren Behan, as the hardier herbs are all that are still thriving in the garden
Shop Local from Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary, as the pork was bought from my lovely local butcher, Tim.
