It can also successfully be roasted flat for 2 hours at about 375-400 (any size, pretty much). Tender flesh, creamy fat and crisp skin. As soon as I can find some I’ll do just that, and post pictures. This may be next weekend. I usually pre-portion it to about 4 inch squares, as no carving is often a boon.
I also really want to try the salt crust method that ccj linked to upthread.
Since the OP is from the UK, I suspect the dish came from a British colony in Asia. Roast pork belly is very common in Asia.
I wonder what we might have done with the belly before we had the empire. Pork was traditonally the meat of the rural working class (and not so rural working class), with families often keeping a pig which would be fed on scraps. Maybe just bacon.
My effort yesterday started with a 2lb bone-in slab, as that’s all my local supermarket had. Much more the side of the animal I’d guess, rather than the true belly.
The bones came off with a few passes of a sharp knife, 2 single portions were cut, and 1/2 inc scoring was performed. I then salted the skin liberally, waited 10 minutes, and cleared the resulting moisture with kitchen paper. Doing this 3 times really helps with the crisping, IMO.
Then into a pre-heated oven at 400 for 2 hours. No basting or other attention required. As I had the bones I used them as a trivet, but the meat slid off in the oven and needed rescuing from being on its side. The bones made it to my plate too!
Suffice to say, there were no left-overs:
DSCN1499|700x525looks delicious, I’m going to have to try cooking it that way!
My latest effort was successful. Sainsbury had a “near sell by date” pack of three slices of outdoor bred Hampshire piggy. Each slice about 2cm thick. We sprinkled them with oregano and olive oil and roasted at 160 for 90 minutes - perfectly tender but would have needed a bit longer for “fall apart at the touch of a fork”. Crackling was OK if not a mega successful version.
Looks gorgeous! I have never seen belly with the bones attached, but I will have to keep a closer eye out going forward.
Robin’s post reminded me I still havent had a reply from the farm. Stroppy email now sent to them.
By the by, I also take the bones out when roasting, if it’s come with them. Not sure why I do this as I wouldnt with, say, a pig leg joint or a lamb shoulder.
Well, at least there’s been an apology from the farm, even if not actually an explanation. The apology explains that the owner has been away for a while with hints that quality control may have slipped in his absence. So, I’m still in the dark as to why the skin was impossible to score and the meat impossible to eat even though cooked as often done many times. A replacement slab of piggy will be delivered on Thursday. I see a Nigel Slater recipe in its future - Slater scores the skin as normal for crackling but also slashes the flesh side and offers two or three rubs for the flesh before roasting. I’m partial to the hoisin sauce one, but garlic and olive oil may win over Mrs H more easily.
