Crackling Pork Belly with Plum Sauce

Name: Crackling Pork Belly with Plum Sauce
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 500 g Pork Belly (500-800g Ironbark Pork pork belly — up to 800); 2 tbsp Olive Oil (2 tbsp The Olive Tree olive oil); 1 tsp Table Salt (1 tsp table salt + Salt and pepper, to season); 650 g Plum (650g ripe plums (weight, once seeds removed and halved)); 1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar (⅓ cup Oh So Natural apple cider vinegar); 1 cup Brown Sugar (⅓ cup White Mill brown sugar); 2 tbsp Soy Sauce (2 tbsp Asia Specialities soy sauce + 1 tsp Asia Specialities soy sauce); ¼ tsp Paprika (¼ tsp Stonemill ground paprika); 3 cloves Garlic (2 cloves garlic, minced + 1 garlic clove, crushed); 1 tbsp Ginger (1 tbsp freshly grated ginger); 0 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (Sprinkle of Stonemill chilli flakes (optional) + ¼ tsp Stonemill chilli flakes) — optional; 4 pieces Persian Cucumber (4 Lebanese cucumber, thinly sliced); 1 tsp Sesame Seeds (1 tsp Stonemill sesame seeds); 1 tsp Sesame Oil (1 tsp sesame oil)

Slow-roasted pork belly with crackling skin served with a sweet and tangy plum sauce and a fresh sesame-garlic cucumber salad.

80 minChinese

Servings4

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Ingredients

For 4 servings

Pork Belly500 g · 500-800g Ironbark Pork pork belly — up to 800
Olive Oil2 tbsp · 2 tbsp The Olive Tree olive oil
Table Salt1 tsp · 1 tsp table salt + Salt and pepper, to season
Plum650 g · 650g ripe plums (weight, once seeds removed and halved)
Apple Cider Vinegar1 cup · ⅓ cup Oh So Natural apple cider vinegar
Brown Sugar1 cup · ⅓ cup White Mill brown sugar
Soy Sauce2 tbsp · 2 tbsp Asia Specialities soy sauce + 1 tsp Asia Specialities soy sauce
Paprika¼ tsp · ¼ tsp Stonemill ground paprika
Garlic3 cloves · 2 cloves garlic, minced + 1 garlic clove, crushed
Ginger1 tbsp · 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
Red Pepper Flakes0 tsp · Sprinkle of Stonemill chilli flakes (optional) + ¼ tsp Stonemill chilli flakes · optional
Persian Cucumber4 pieces · 4 Lebanese cucumber, thinly sliced
Sesame Seeds1 tsp · 1 tsp Stonemill sesame seeds
Sesame Oil1 tsp · 1 tsp sesame oil

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Steps

1Remove the pork belly from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature, for 30 minutes.
2Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan-forced).
3Pat dry the pork belly rind with paper towel. Score with sharp knife. Drizzle and rub oil and salt over the pork belly rind.
4Place the pork belly rind-side up on a lined roasting tray. Bake for 20–25 minutes until the skin begins to crackle and turns golden. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (160°C fan-forced) and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
5While the pork belly is cooking, make plum sauce. Place a pot of water on the stove and bring to a simmer. With a knife, make a cross on top of the plums and blanch for 1–2 minutes until the skin starts to fold back, then place in an ice bath to cool. Once cool, peel the skin back and dice into small cube pieces, disregarding the stones.
6Into a medium-sized saucepan, add in brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, paprika, garlic, ginger and chilli flakes. Slowly bring to the boil over a medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 20–25 minutes, or until the plums are soft and the sauce has thickened slightly. Set aside and keep warm.
7Once pork belly is cooked, set aside and allow to rest.
8Lightly toast sesame seeds until golden brown, then set aside.
9Prepare the cucumber salad. Place cucumbers in a bowl. Add garlic, sesame oil, chili flakes and soy sauce. Add sesame seeds. Season to taste and mix well. Transfer to a serving bowl.
10To serve, turn the pork belly rind-side down, slice into 2cm thick pieces, then cut each slice into 2cm cubes.
11On a serving plate, arrange a bottom layer of 8–10 pork belly cubes, followed by a second layer of 6–8 cubes, then 3–4 cubes, finishing with one piece on top. Drizzle warm plum sauce over the top.
12Serve the cucumber salad in a separate bowl alongside the piled pork belly.
13Option: Add steamed rice as a side dish.