Pork Belly is one of the most forgiving meats to roast. It’s flavorful, moist, and easy to make ahead. This preparation is excellent served as a small starter, main course, or thinly sliced, crisped and served in tacos or a Vietnamese banh mi sandwich.
Roasting the pork belly on a bed of fennel, cardamom, and star anise gives it a subtle complexity that elevates the flavors of the belly, allowing for use in several preparations.
Fennel, bay leaves, garlic, cardamom, star anise, and half the fennel seeds into a hot roasting tray on the stovetop with a little oil.
Pork, skin side down.
Season the skin with salt and fennel seeds.
Roasted pork belly.
Add mustard and whisk the sauce.
Roasted Pork Belly
Fennel, cardamom, and star anise give the pork belly a subtle, yet elevated complexity.
INGREDIENTS
- 1kg pork belly
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and roughly sliced
- 4 fresh bay leaves
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed
- 1 tsp cardamom pods, bashed
- 4 star anise
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- Olive oil
- 325ml white wine
- 500–750ml chicken stock (depending on the size of your pan)
- 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- Score the pork belly skin diagonally in a diamond pattern at 1½ cm intervals. Season generously with salt and pepper, rubbing it well into the skin.
- Put the fennel, bay leaves, garlic, cardamom, star anise, and half the fennel seeds into a hot roasting tray on the stove top with a little oil and heat for about 2 minutes until aromatic. Push to the side of the tray, then add the pork, skin side down, and cook for at least 5 minutes until it turns golden brown. Turn the pork over, season the skin again with salt, and sprinkle with the remaining fennel seeds. Pour in the wine to de-glaze the pan, scraping up the bits from the bottom (be careful not to get the skin of the pork wet). Bring to a boil, then pour in enough stock to come up to the bottom layer of fat just below the skin and allow to boil again.
- Transfer the tray to the preheated oven and cook for 2½ hours.
- Transfer the meat to a warm plate and set aside to rest. Meanwhile, spoon off any excess fat in the roasting tray or drag a slice of bread along the surface of the cooking juices to absorb it. Heat the tray on the stove top, adding the mustard. Mix in with a whisk, then taste and adjust the flavors as necessary. Remove the star anise and cardamom pods and pour the sauce into a jug. Serve the rested pork with the sauce alongside.
NOTES
Inspired By: Gordon Ramsay.
