Pork Belly with Sage and Onion Gravy
 
Pork Belly with Sage and Onion Gravy
 

Pork Belly with Sage and Onion Gravy

2hrs 30mins
hard
Servings: 6

Top tip for the crispiest crackling every time... If you have the time, remove the pork from it’s packaging the night before you want to cook it. Dry it well with paper towel and then sprinkle the scored skin with 1 Tbsp table salt and rub this all over the skin. Pop this in the fridge uncovered overnight. This will really help dry that skin out which will give you best crackling when you roast it.

Ingredients

  • 3 large onions, quartered
  • 3 large carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces
  • 3 celery sticks cut into 2 inch pieces
  • 2kg boneless pork belly, skin scored
  • 2 Tbsp Maldon sea salt
  • 30g butter
  • 2 large white sweet onions, peeled and finely sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp plain flour
  • 150ml white wine
  • 12 sage leaves, finely sliced
  • 1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp cider vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp Organic Pasture-fed Pork Fat
  • 2 Pouches Organic Free-range Chicken Bone Broth
Free-Range Organic Chicken Bone Broth
£6.15
£6.15

Instructions

  1. Remove the pork belly from the fridge an hour before you intend to cook it in order for it to come to room temperature. If you did salt the skin overnight, pat the skin dry with paper towel until it completely dry
  2. Preheat the oven to 220C Fan. Use an oven thermometer if you have one, for an accurate oven reading
  3. Place the onions, carrots and celery into a large roasting tin. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Place a wire rack on top of the layer of vegetables and pour in 300ml water to the roasting tray
  4. Place the pork belly onto the wire rack. Spread the pork belly with 1 tbsp of pork fat and season generously with Maldon sea salt all over the skin. Place the roasting tray into the oven on a high shelf for 35-40 minutes until the crackling is a lovely golden brown
  5. Open the oven door and pull the pork out of the oven. Check inside and if the edges are beginning to burn, pour in another 100-150ml of water in those areas
  6. Reduce the heat to 160c. Place the tin back into the oven and continue to cook for 40 minutes.
  7. Remove the pork belly from the oven and lift the wire rack from on top of the vegetables. Place the pork and rack onto another oven tray. Pour 200ml of water into the tray and place back into the oven for another 45 minutes to an hour to finish cooking
  8. While the pork continues to cook, get on with the gravy. Tilt the roasting tray and spoon out any excess fat from the tray. Leave around 2 tbsp of fat in the tin. Place the tray back onto the heat and add in the chicken bone broth. Using a wooden spoon, stir well for 2 minutes making sure to scrape the base of the tin well. Then simmer gently for 15 minutes
  9. While that’s happening add pork fat and butter to a sauté pan over a medium high heat. Once the butter is foaming, add in the sliced sweet onions and continue to cook over a medium high heat for 25 minutes or until the onions are deep golden brown and caramelised. Add in the garlic and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Next add in the flour and stir well for 2 minutes. Next add in the white wine and stir for a further 2 minutes
  10. Pass the porky flavoured broth from the roasting tin through a fine sieve that is sitting over a saucepan, making sure to press down on the vegetables with a ladle or a spoon to squeeze out as much flavour out as possible. Pour the sieved broth into the pan with the flour and wine and whisk well until it’s all been incorporated
  11. Add the sage leaves to the pan and bring the gravy back up to a gentle simmer and cook until the gravy has thickened. Lastly, whisk in the mustard and in the cider vinegar. Taste the gravy and season to your liking
  12. Slice your pork into thick slices and serve with the sage and onion gravy. This would also go really well with sautéed cabbage and roast or mashed potatoes