Green Farm Roast Pork Belly

There’s nothing quite like the crunch, crackle and succulence of a delicious piece of pork belly. And it’s so much easier than you think to get it just right! Here are my top tips to pork belly perfection as well as a recipe using our amazing free-range, outdoor-reared Green Farm pork - because starting with incredible meat in our opinion is the most important first step.

Roast Pork Belly with Apples, Shallots and Winter Greens

Perfecting Roast Pork Belly: Cooking Tips

1. Take your pork belly out of its packing at least 3 hrs (up to 24hrs) before roasting and place in a baking tray/dish. Using some kitchen towel, dab the pork to get rid of any excess moisture. Place uncovered into the fridge to dry it out even more until needed.

2. Take your belly out of the fridge for an hour before roasting to bring to bring it to room temperature. Dab again with kitchen towel to remove any moisture.

3. Meanwhile, heat your oven to its max for at least 30 mins.

4. Rub your pork with a little olive oil and a lot of salt flakes and whack it into a very hot oven 250C for 30 mins to crisp the skin. Make sure there’s no tray above it in the oven and don’t open the door during this time. This step is for any size piece of pork.

5. After 30 mins lower the heat to 170C and roast for 1.5-3hrs depending on the size.

6. When ready, don’t cover the meat in foil to rest, just leave it in the dish for 15 mins on its own. Serve straight away and you should have perfect crackling!

ROAST PORK BELLY WITH APPLES & SHALLOTS

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

Pork

600g for 2 people or 1kg for 4 people: Green Farm Pork Belly (bone in, skin scored) 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp fennel seeds 1 tsp salt flakes

Apples & Shallots 500g peeled whole shallots

4 green apples, cored and cut into 1/8s

4 large Sage leaves finely shredded

8 garlic cloves, whole and bashed in their skins

1tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

1. Follow my tips and instructions for the pork above, including the fennel seeds when you add the salt.

2. Meanwhile, put all the apple and shallot ingredients into a roasting dish. Make sure everything is covered in a light layer of olive oil. Put in the oven when the pork has finished its initial 30 mins roasting and leave in there until the pork is finished. The shallots should be nice and brown, the garlic soft and the apples completely fallen apart and reduced into a thick juicy sauce.

3. Serve with mashed potatoes and wilted greens.