Pork Belly Dreams - Part 2 & 3: Roasted Pork Belly and Sticky Belly Bites

As promised last week, we’re still on the pork belly. Here are two easy recipes - one to serve the family and one to bring to a friend’s as an appetizer with toothpicks.

First, cut a large 5 lbs rindless pork belly in half lengthwise.

Slow Cooked Pork Belly:

INGREDIENTS

Olive oil

Garlic powder

Salt

Onion Powder

Smoked paprika

METHOD

With the first half of the belly: If the fat on top of the belly is thick, score it in a crosshatch pattern, being careful not to cut the meat underneath.

Rub a little bit of olive oil all over the belly and sprinkle seasoning all over.

Preheat the oven to 285.

Wrap the belly in foil and cook for 1.5 hours.

Remove from the oven and tighten the foil pouch since the meat will have shrunk. Make sure it’s as submerged in the fat as possible.

Cook for another hour.

Remove from the oven and turn the heat up to 485.

Remove pork from the foil and place it on a rack on the pan, or use balls of foil to keep it up off the pan.

Cook on high for 30 minutes.

Rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Sticky Belly Bites:

INGREDIENTS

The 2nd half of the belly 4 1/4 cups hot chicken stock

1 thumb sized piece of ginger peeled and minced (or 1 tbsp of ginger puree)

3 cloves garlic peeled and roughly chopped

1 tbsp rice wine

1 tbsp brown sugar

Glaze:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

pinch salt and pepper

1 thumb-sized piece of ginger peeled and minced

1 red chili finely chopped

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp lemongrass paste

To Serve:

chopped spring onions

Handful toasted sesame seeds

METHOD

Cut the belly into thumb-sized chunks.

Add pork belly pieces, stock, ginger, garlic, rice wine, and sugar to a heavy-based pan.

Bring to the boil, then place a lid on, turn down the heat and simmer for 2 hours.

Turn off the heat, remove the pork from the pan and pat it dry using kitchen towels. You can reserve the liquid if you like (Perfect for a Thai or Chinese noodle soup).

Chop the pork into bite sized chunks.

In a small bowl, mix together the glaze ingredients if you’re doing the glaze. Set aside.

Add the oil to a frying pan and heat over a medium-high heat.

Add in the pork, along with a pinch of salt and pepper, and fry, turning regularly, until the pork starts to turn golden. Be careful as the oil can splatter at this stage (I recommend a splatter guard).

Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.

Serve them with toothpicks as is or continue with the glaze:

Pour the glaze over the pork and continue to cook for a couple of minutes, turning the pork often, until the pork looks dark and sticky.

Remove from the heat and serve. I like to top with a few spring onions. Sesame seeds would be great as well. So of course, I used both.

Cue the belly laugh...