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Slow-roast pork belly with rosemary, sage and garlic
Serves 8-10 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 2kg best-quality pork belly, with plenty of fat, skin unscored
For the stuffing
- 40g sage leaves
- 40g rosemary sprigs
- 3 fat garlic cloves
- 2tsp fine salt
- 1tsp freshly ground black pepper
To coat the pork
- 2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 fat garlic clove, finely chopped
- 2tsp fine salt
Method
Heat the oven to 160C/320F/Gas 4. Prepare the stuffing first. Pull the leaves from the herbs and discard the stems. Pile them on to a chopping board with the rest of the stuffing ingredients and finely chop them together with a large cook’s knife. Set aside.
Lay the pork belly flat, skin side down, on to a work surface and rub 1tbsp of the oil into the surface. Scatter over the chopped garlic and rub in well. Now spoon over the stuffing mixture and spread evenly over the surface. Roll up the pork belly lengthways and tie with butcher’s string to secure the roll.
Rub the surface with the remaining oil and the salt. Lay the pork into a roasting tray and cover with foil. Roast in the oven for 3 hours. After this time, push a sharp knife into the meat; if it goes through like butter it is ready, but if there is some resistance put the pork back in for another 20 minutes before testing again. If necessary, put back in the oven and test again after another 10 minutes until the pork is done.
Remove the foil, turn up the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6 and cook until the skin has become crisp and golden crackling. This should take between 20-30 minutes but keep an eye on it as it burns easily. Allow the pork to rest, loosely covered with foil for 20-30 minutes, then serve.
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