Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Slow roast belly pork is my absolutely favourite roast because the long cooking time allows the fat to melt away, leaving behind succulent and tasty meat.
Apples and onions are roasted with the meat to make the perfect accompaniment for the roast, with very little effort.
Plus, there are step by step instructions to achieve the most amazing crackling, and that's one of the best bits, right?
Great for entertaining or a delicious family dinner, this recipe is definitely worth keeping!
Bon appétit!
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Why you will love this recipe
If you think that belly pork is too fatty or greasy then you will love this recipe. The meat sits on a rack so that the the fat and juices melt through the meat and are collected.
This means that the meat keeps succulent, without that greasy feel and you can still retain the juices and skim off the fat to make amzing gravy.
What are the ingredients?
I've used a boneless pork belly joint with the skin on for easy carving. If you have a joint with the ribs on I prefer to remove them and freeze to cookj the ribs separately another time.
For the crackling you will just need salt and vegetable oil.
I have also used 2 apples and an onion. You can use any type of firm apple but a tart apple like a granny smith will be a great contrast to the sweet onions when they are roasted and caramelised.
How to make this roast and how to get perfect crackling
Get the pork out of the fridge about half an hour before you want to cook it to bring it to room temperature, so that it can start cooking as soon as it goes into the oven.
Score the skin with the grain of the meat, cutting through the skin but not through to the meat. I prefer quite thin lines about a centimetre apart.
Next sprinkle the surface very liberally with table salt. The salt is not going to be eaten, but helps to open up the skin, allowing the oven to get all the skin edges crispy.
Leave to sit for 30 minutes while the oven heats to 160FAN/180C/350F.
Next, wash off the salt and pat dry. Put the pork on a rack over a roasting pan.
Rub the skin with the oil and then sprinkle with sea salt, then cover the whole tin with foil. without letting it touch the skin.
Now roast for an hour and a half . In the meantime slice the onions into rings and peel and cut the apples into wedges.
Remove the meat from the oven and remove the rack with the pork entirely and lay the onions and apples on the bottom of the tray.
Replace the pork and foil and return to the oven for another hour.
The meat should be extremely tender at this point but I like to check with a carving fork.
Increase the oven to 180FAN/200C/400F for 30 minutes to crisp up the crackling.
Place it on a carving tray and cut off the crackling and put it on a separate plate. Allowing the crackling to get cold will also make it crisper.
If the crackling is not fully crispy at this stage, don't panic! Put the crackling on an oven tray and return to the oven until it is ready. Alternatively, put it under the grill, but watch it like a hawk, as it can quickly burn.
Cover the pork loosely with foil and leave to rest for at least 15 minutes.
Drain the fat from the tray, reserving the juices, onions and apples.
Slice the slow roast belly pork and serve with chunks of crackling and the apples and onions on the side.
Recipe FAQs
To me, this is a very British dish and I would have to serve Crispy Roast Potatoes with a Broccoli Cauliflower Cheese and Roasted Root Vegetables for a Sunday roast.
Equally, if you are serving this dish in the summer I would serve Twice Baked Stuffed Potatoes and Apple Coleslaw.
If you have any pork leftover then wrap it well and keep in the fridge for a couple of days or freeze it.
We normally have a stir fry the following day but leftover pork is also great in curries or cubed and added to fried rice for a quick meal too.
Top tips
- If you are entertaining try scoring the pork both ways, into small squares. You can then cut the pork into square pieces, rather than slices for an for an elegant presentation.
- To score the pork, I prefer to use a medium sized meat knife, as a large sharp knife is unwieldy. A craft knife with replaceable blades is also a good option. If you find this difficult, try using a bread knife. You do need to saw at it, but you do have more control.
- Don't forget to deglaze the roasting pan with some white wine and stock to make a delicious gravy with the juices.
- Spice up this recipe by adding a couple of teaspoons of chilli flakes to the skin, or try fennel seeds too.
So here's my slow roast belly pork. Perfectly tender and really tasty, with perfect crackling and caramelised apples and onions.
Let me know what you think in the comments or you can post a picture and tag me on Twitter @chezlereve, Instagram @chezlerevefrancais, or Facebook @chezlerevefrancais.
More Pork Recipes to try
📋 Recipe
Slow Roast Belly Pork with Perfect Crackling
Ingredients
- 2 kg pork belly
- 2 tsp coarse salt
- cooking salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 onions sliced
Instructions
- Bring the pork to room temperature and score the surface of the pork with fine lines.
- Sprinkle the surface with table salt and leave for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 160FAN/180C/350F.
- Wash off the salt and pat dry then put the pork on a rack over a roasting pan.
- Rub the meat with vegetable oil and sprinkle with the sea salt.
- Cover with foil and roast for an hour and a half.
- Slice the onions and cut the apples into wedges and place at the bottom of the oven tin.
- Return to the oven for another hour.
- Remove the foil and increase the oven to 180FAN/200C/400F for 30 minutes to crisp up the crackling.
- Place it on a carving tray and cut off the crackling and put it on a separate plate.
- Cover the pork loosely with foil and leave to rest for at least 15 minutes.
- Drain the fat from the tray, reserving the juices, onions and apples.
- Slice the pork and serve with chunks of crackling and the apples and onions on the side.
Notes
- If you are entertaining try scoring the pork both ways, into small squares. You can then cut the pork into square pieces, rather than slices for an for an elegant presentation.
- To score the pork, I prefer to use a medium sized meat knife, as a large sharp knife is unwieldy. A craft knife with replaceable blades is also a good option. If you find this difficult, try using a bread knife. You do need to saw at it, but you do have more control.
- Don't forget to deglaze the roasting pan with some white wine and stock to make a delicious gravy with the juices.
- Spice up this recipe by adding a couple of teaspoons of chilli flakes to the skin, or try fennel seeds too.
- If the crackling is not fully crispy at the end of cooking, don't panic! Put the crackling on an oven tray and return to the oven. Alternatively, put it under the grill, but watch it like a hawk, as it can quickly burn.
Mmmmmmm. I wish I had some now!
My family and I are going to love this recipe! I can't wait to give this a try! Looks so delicious and making my mouth water!
The crakling is the best part! I like to mix it up into the meat for a crunchy sandwich.
My family love pork belly and crispy crackling is a must! Delicious.
Just few ingredients and so delicious. You have shared so many options too. Pinned to make these soon.
This looks so juicy and tender it makes my mouth water and slow roasted is the best always!
Wow, I love all of the options with this recipe! And the detailed instructions make this really easy to follow.
Ohhh that does look like perfect crackling! And so easy with just a few ingredients. Perfect!
I made this yesterday and it was superb. I followed your instructions and the crackling was perfect
This looks heavenly, I appreciated that you gave detailed instruction and variations on how to score the pork since I've never made a dish like this before!
Wow does this sound fantastic! The cracklin looks perfect and the use of onions and apples makes the roast so flavorful!
You had me at perfect crackling! Delicious!
Thank you. Pork is fairly good value in France so it makes an economical meal to feed a crowd but belly is always so tasty! Have a lovely Christmas too!
Just this week I spoke with the butcher about the pork belly in his display. How I wish I had purchased some now! Your dish sounds delicious and would make a wonderful main course for any of the upcoming holiday dinners.
Have a wonderful Christmas!