Step-by-step

Step-by-step Szechuan-spiced p ork b elly

Mix up your Sunday roast with this Chinese-inspired joint – it’ll warm up any winter weekend

S Z E C H U A N - S P I C E D P O R K B E L L Y

Serves 4 freeze without crackling Takes 1 hr 40 mins plus resting and overnight drying Cost per serve £1.12

750g pork belly joint ⅛ tsp Szechuan peppercorns ⅛ tsp fennel seeds ⅛ tsp Chinese five-spice 1 cardamom pod, seeds removed 1 tbsp fine salt, plus 1 tsp charred pak choi and roast potatoes, to serve (optional)

1 The day before you want to serve the pork, begin by drying the joint. Unwrap, pat dry with kitchen paper and place on a plate. Transfer to the fridge overnight, lightly covered with kitchen paper (pic A, far right). 2 On the day of cooking, grind the peppercorns, fennel seeds, fve-spice and cardamom seeds to a fne powder using a pestle

and mortar. Stir in the 1 tbsp fine salt (pic B). 3 Place the joint on a chopping board and pat dry with kitchen paper. Use a very sharp knife to score a diamond pattern in the rind – if the joint is already scored, score extra cuts in it (pic C). 4 Cover the rind with all but a pinch of the spiced salt mixture, working it into the cuts with your hands. Rub the remaining spiced salt underneath the joint. Leave at room temperature for 30 mins. Preheat the oven to gas 9, 240°C, fan 220°C (or to gas 10, 260°C, fan 240°C if your oven allows). 5 Rub of most of the spiced salt from the rind and from in between the cuts, then pat dry with kitchen paper. Gently rub the extra 1 tsp fine salt onto the rind. Place on a trivet in a roasting tin (pic D). 6 Roast for 30 mins, then reduce the oven temperature to gas 5, 190°C, fan 170°C and roast for a further 50 mins until the pork is cooked through. If the crackling is still a bit soft, turn the temperature back up to gas 9, 240°C, fan 220°C (or gas 10, 260°C, fan 240°C if your oven allows) for the last 10 mins. Leave the cooked joint, loosely covered with foil, to rest for 20 mins. Serve with charred pak choi and roast potatoes, if you like.

Each serving contains

Energy Fat Saturates

Sugars Salt 2015kJ 485kcal 38g 14g 0g 1.4g 24% 54% 69% 0% 24%

of the reference intake. See page 105. Carbohydrate 0g Protein 36g Fibre 0g

W I N E M A T C H

This German Riesling, £5* , with sweet baked apple notes, can stand up to roast pork and these punchy flavours.

*Price excludes Scotland and Wales A DRYING THE MEAT

A dry rind is essential for crispy crackling. If your joint has been wrapped in plastic, it may have ‘sweated’ a little, so it’s important to remove as much of this moisture as possible to give it the best start.

C SCORING THE PORK

Crackling is made when hot fat pushes its way up over the rind: by scoring a diamond pattern before roasting, you help this process along. Ensure the original score lines are about 1cm apart; if further apart, score more lines in between them.

E CREATING THE CRACKLING

Setting the oven very hot to start with means the fat will heat quickly, creating the crackling. But reduce the temperature after 30 mins or the meat will dry out. To calculate the cooking time of any pork belly joint, use 35 mins per 500g, plus 35 mins. B MAKING THE RUB

Salt draws out moisture, so rubbing the pork with the spiced salt (fine salt penetrates the rind better) before roasting helps ensure the crackling will go crisp. The second rub adds flavour and helps to keep the rind dry during cooking.

D USING A TRIVET

A trivet helps the meat cook evenly and raises the crackling higher to receive more direct heat. You can use a roasting rack or make a vegetable trivet by placing the joint on top of peeled, halved carrots and celery sticks – the veg can then be used to make gravy.

F RESTING THE MEAT

It’s important to allow cooked meat to rest, so the juices and moisture can be reabsorbed and redistributed. (If you slice it immediately after roasting, more of the juices will run out of the meat, leaving you with a dry joint.)