Thread: Twice cooked pork belly

First cook is covered with tinfoil @150c for 2-2.5 hours with some stock and herbs or spices or whatever you like in a dish sized not too big.
Lots of scoreing on the skin but not too deep... just threw the skin and no more
If it is bone in debone and stack them around for nibbles.
I would usually use some cider.....I didn't have cider but I did have beer and apples and onion





Once done sit it on the bench still covered for 15-20 min before opening and transfering to ideally a tray the same size as the meat. Line it in tinfoil and wrap it up the sides of the meat but not over the skin if its not a neat fit in the pan/tray to keep all the fat and juices in.
Next another pan/tray similar sized goes on top with some weights to squish it a bit flatter and into the fridge.
Reserve the liquid from the first cooking tray in a glass or something.



Now you can nibble on the bones.

As soon as it is totally cold you can remove the weights and top pan and make sure the skin is totally dry and salt it.

Get out a couple of hours before cooking to come up to room temp check skin is dry and more salting of the skin only.
The cup of juices will have a layer of fat on it and the rest will be gelatin,scoop off the fat and carefully put it down the sides of the tinfoil so it stays with the meat.



If having roast veg with it get them 90% done then turn up the oven to max and remove the veg while it comes up to temp.

Put the pork still wrapped in its foil with just the skin exposed in the top third of the oven and watch threw the window till crackled and hopefully not burnt.
Turn oven down take pork out and put veges back in while pork rests.





Heat the reserved jelitin and whisk in a packet of pork gravy.

Slice and serve.