Pork Belly?

lindadykes

I love belly pork, it's one of my favourite roasts! The layers of fat keep it beautifully moist and it is one of the tastiest cuts. Don't be put off by the layers of fat - I won't eat nasty white flabby fat in any meat, but the fat in the belly pork bastes the lean meat as it cooks and is so easy to discard at the end.

Make sure that the rind is slashed at 1/4 inch intervals, if it is not you will need to use a stanley knife or very sharp blade to do so. Pat the rind all over with some kitchen towel, as it needs to be dry. Sprinkle very generously with salt. Put in your hottest oven setting and roast until the cracking is all lovely and bubbly and crisp and when the pork is prodded with a knife the juices are clear as opposed to pink. To serve, remove the cracking and break into chunks. The pork should sort of "peel" away in layers, i.e a layer of fat, then a layer of lean pork, discard the fat.

With this method you won't get nice neat slices of roast meat, but you will get chunks of succculent lean tasty pork and crispy crackling.

Incidently one of my favourite ways of using belly pork is in "The Ultimate Pork Sarnie" Get a really nice bun - I like Morrisons chiabatta buns for this. Split it open. Prepare the pork as above. Spread the base of the bun with pease pudding, top with lean pork meat, then crackling, then apple sauce. Take the lid of the bun and spread with sage and onion stuffing , drizzle a little gravy over the pork, then top with the other half of the bun - heaven.

The ready cooked belly pork roasts from Morrisons are ideal for this.

Stephen_Leak

Belly pork joints are a very under-rated pork joint IMHO. I also think people are put off by the fat and the low price.

Just roast it as usual. They are pretty idiot-proof too, as the fat infuses all through the joint and stops it going dry, like rolled shoulder joints tend to do.

For the crackling, slash it and salt it before putting the joint in. Then at the end of cooking, turn the oven up to the "Chernobyl" setting and regularly baste it with the fat - effectively you're frying it. As above, belly joints can take this last minute abuse without going dry.

faye1978

Hi All,

I have some of the above in the freezer and am wondering what I could do with them?!?! Maybe something in SC. Can't use any veg as OH wont eat veg and no 'funny stuff'

Any ideas greatly appreciated. If I could freeze a portion too that would be great.

Thanks :A

Newday_2

I made sweet and sour with some the other week also make a tomatoe sauce and add belly pork and serve with pasta

Dawn

THIRZAH

I bake them for about 50 minutes.After 35 minutes sprinkle a tablespoon of dry sage and onion stuffing mix on top and return to oven. They go crispy and are lovely with apple sauce.

globalds

Boston Baked beans ?http://www.breakfastandbrunch.co.uk/recipes2.php?rcpid=197
Ready for tomorrow

sandy2_2

I cut them into pieces, add a tin of chopped tomatoes, a bit of sugar, some tomato puree, onions and some herbs, cook in slow cooker for as log as you need. Serve with potatoes, rice, pasta or crunchy bread.
Out here in Spain it's called carne con Tomate and is served all the time in smallish portions as a tapas in the bars

If you roast the belly slices so they are nice and crunchy, watch out for you fillings....the voice of experience and dental bills!

floss2

Get a large tin of tomato soup, a glass of applejuice, some sage & an onion (chopped), and your defrosted belly pork.

Heat oven to gas 3 (sorry, can't do electric ovens!)

Cut pork into chunks, and toss in some seasoned flour, then fry til sealed in some hot oil.

Remove & put into ovenproof casserole dish.

Put onion in pan & fry til translucent.

Remove & add to pork.

While pan still on heat, pour in the apple juice & scrape all the gungy bits off the bottom of the pan (deglazing). Add to pork.

Open soup, add to pork.

Add 1 teaspoon dried sage.

Put lid on & put in oven for about 2 1/2 hours.

Eat with pasta, mashed potatoes or mashed parsnips.

A grown up version can be made with a carton of fresh tomato soup (chunky type) or a tin of chopped tomatoes, fresh sage & wine.

faye1978

Wow! Lots of ideas there. Thankyou I will go and see what would be best. :beer:

Danni1979

hiya i loveeee belly slices with cheese sauce
xx