Roast pork belly with orange, apple, sage and garlic

cropped-Pork_Belly_with_Orange.jpg
Preparation time: 5 min • Cooking time: 2 hrs
Difficulty: Easy • Serves: 4

Ingredients

700g pork belly
1 tsp salt flakes
1 red onion (cut into 1cm slices)
1 granny smith apple (cut into 1cm slices)
1 blood orange (cut into 1cm slices)
1 small head organic garlic (cut into half)
1 small bunch sage
2 fresh bay leaves
4 whole star anise
1 cup apple juice
1.5L water

Method

  1. Pre-heat your hooded barbecue on high with the hood down for 10 minutes or until it reaches 200°C. Alternatively, set the oven to 180°C with fan forced mode on.
  2. Carefully remove any bones from the pork belly and discard. Dry the skin with kitchen paper towel, than using a sharp knife or a Stanley blade, cut 5 mm deep score lines 1 cm apart through the skin all the way from top to bottom.
  3. Sprinkle the salt over the cuts on the skin and massage in well, and then place the pork belly into an oven tray.
  4. Surround the pork with alternate slices of red onions, apples and oranges. Add the garlic and star anise, push the fresh sage and bay leaves under the sliced fruits, and then pour in the apple juice. Carefully pour the water over the fruit and vegetables (not over the Pork belly), until half of the Pork is submerged. Ensure the scored skin remains above the water level.
  5. Place the tray in the barbecue or into the oven and allow to roast for 45 minutes, then turn down to 170°C and cook for a further 60 minutes, until the skin is crisp and the Pork is tender and succulent. Add more water to the tray during the cooking process as evaporation occurs. A skewer inserted through the pork’s centre should encounter no resistance.
  6. Remove the Pork from the oven, loosely cover with aluminium foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Spiced pulled pork sliders with red slaw

cropped-Pork_slider.jpg
Preparation time: 10 min • Cooking time: 4 hrs
Difficulty: Easy • Makes: 10

Ingredients

1.5kg boneless pork shoulder
600 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sweet Spanish smoked paprika
1 whole birds eye chillies
1 lemon (zest and juice)
1 cup parsley
1 tsp salt flakes
1 tsp freshly milled black pepper
1 cup shredded white cabbage
1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
1 golden delicious apple (shredded)
1 carrot (peeled and grated)
1/2 cup continental parsley (shredded)
1/2 cup kewpie mayonnaise
10 dinner rolls or small brioche buns

Method

  1. Combine in a blender the olive oil, paprika, chillies, lemon zest, juice, parsley and seasoning. Place the pork onto a roasting tray and rub the marinade all over the meat.
  2. Pre-set the oven to 230°C and when it reached that temperature, place the pork in the centre of the oven. Turn down the temperature to 150°C and allow to cook for one hour, basting several times.
  3. Cover with aluminium foil and continue cooking for three more hours (basting every half hour) or until the meat can be pulled apart with two spoons. Remove and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
  4. Combine together the cabbages, apple, carrot and parsley. Fold in a little mayonnaise and set aside.
  5. Lightly toast the cut buns, top each with a little mayonnaise, the slaw and the pulled pork.