How To Cook Traditional Roast Belly Pork

A classic slow roast served with a tart apple sauce and sticky, sweet shallots.

1. Remove the joint from the fridge and scald the rind by pouring over a full kettle of boiling water onto the skin over a clean sink with the pork resting on a wire tray, pat dry, then rub lightly with oil and season with salt. This can be done a day in advance and left uncovered in the fridge.
2. On the day of roasting, preheat the oven to 140°C fan assisted or 160°C without a fan (gas 3).
3. Roast for 2½ hours or until fork tender, basting with its own fat a couple of times throughout the cook.
4. Next, increase the oven temperature to 210°C fan assisted or 230°C without a fan (gas 8) and continue to roast for an additional 20 minutes or until the skin becomes crisp and brittle.
5. Leave to rest for 30 minutes in a warm place before carving.

1. Place all the ingredients into a heavy based saucepan.
2. Add a splash of water then cover with a tight fitting lid.
3. Cook over a medium heat until the apples become soft and translucent.
4. Remove the lid and increase heat, cooking for a further few minutes until the apples are tender and the excess moisture evaporates.
5. Then, either smash the apples with the back of a fork for a more rustic sauce, or blend to a fine puree using a stick blender or food processor.

1. Place all the ingredients except the vinegar into a heavy based saucepan with the shallots evenly spread out and just covered with water.
2. Simmer gently until the shallots are tender and the water evaporates, then increase the heat and lightly brown the shallots. Finish by adding the vinegar and carry on cooking until the vinegar evaporates. Serve straight away.

• Serve slices of pork with mashed potatoes, scatter over the shallots and add a good dollop of the apple sauce.