TWICE-COOKED PORK BELLY

Ready in 31⁄2 hours, plus overnight marinating and chilling

Ingredients


2 tsp fennel seeds
sprigs of thyme, sage and rosemary
1kg pork belly
2 tsp sea salt
250g pot duck fat rapeseed oil


Method


1 Lightly crush the fennel seeds in a pestle and mortar, add the herbs and bruise lightly. Scatter into an ovenproof dish. Season the pork all over with the salt and set on top of the herbs, skin-side up. Chill for 2 hours or overnight, if possible.

2 Preheat the oven to 150°C/130°C fan/gas 2. Warm the duck fat until it becomes liquid, pour over the pork, adding enough oil to just cover. Cook for 3 hours. Alternatively, cook in a slow cooker for 4 hours on low.

3 Lift the pork from the oil and place in a clean dish, sandwiched between sheets of greaseproof paper. Cool and then place a plate on top before weighing it down with tin cans. Chill overnight.

4 Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7. Cut the pork into even-sized pieces and score the skin. Heat a frying pan, add the pork and cook for 3 minutes, skin-side down, until it begins to crackle. Roast in the oven skin-side up for a further 20 minutes until piping hot and serve with mash, steamed veg and gravy.

Tip: For the best crackling, choose pork belly that is firm and has a white layer of fat.

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