Roast Pork Belly, Apple and Fennel

Moist and succulent, with a crispy crackling top, pork belly is unbeatable for flavour. Served with classic bedfellows of apple and fennel, this is a delicious Sunday treat.

Serves 4

Preparation time – 15 minutes

Cooking time – 2 hours 30 minutes

Used in this recipe

Free-Range Boned & Rolled Pork Belly Joint

Pork Belly Joint, Boned & Rolled

from £15.50Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page

Pork Belly Square Cut Joint, Bone-In

from £15.45 £1.55/100gSelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page

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Ingredients

1.5kg Dorset Meat Company Pork Belly Joint bone-in, skin scored, or 1.5kg rolled boned belly joint
3 apples, cored and quartered.
1 onion, sliced
2 fennel bulbs, root base removed then sliced lengthways
2 tsp fennel seeds
Sea salt and coarse ground black pepper.
2 bay leaves
1 lemon, cut in half
200ml white wine or cider
2 tbsp plain flour

Method

First, prepare the pork by drying the skin well, and leaving unpackaged in the fridge overnight (see our crackling article for more hints and tips!(LINK)).
If cooking a flat piece of pork belly, then pre-cut the crackling top to match the portions you plan to serve, to make serving easier. When doing this, check where the bones are underneath.
Preheat the oven to 230°
Mix the sea salt, pepper and fennel seeds, then rub over the pork skin. Place the pork skin side up in a large baking tray or dish. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, watching carefully for the crackling to begin to puff up.
Remove the dish from the oven, reduce the temperature to 160°C, take out the pork and set aside. Add the fennel and apples to the dish, tuck under the bay leaves, and place the pork back on top. Add the white wine to the dish, and roast for a further 2 hours. Make sure the vegetables don’t dry out by basting regularly, and topping up with a splash of water as necessary.
Once cooked, remove the pork and allow to rest, If the crackling isn’t crispy, carefully remove it, and the layer of fat with it, and roast until crispy.
Remove the vegetables and keep warm. De-glaze the dish with a little wine, then add the flour, sifting over and stirring. Either add a little water or reduce depending on the consistency of the gravy.
Serve the belly portions on top of the vegetables, with some lovely wholegrain mustard mash and the gravy on the side.