Crisp Pork Belly with Caramel Vinegar

 Last night i had a few friends over for dinner. I decided to go with an Asian-oriented theme, and i knew that one of the essential foods i must cook had to be pork belly. I've been sitting on this recipe for a little while now, which i believe is derived from a Bill Granger one i saw on the website Cuisine.

Nothing is more deliciously savory that crispy, fatty, and luscious pork belly, and the rich saltiness of the meat in this dish is well balanced by the sweet-sourness of the caramel vinegar sauce over the top. For anyone that has indulged in the crisp pork hock @ the fantastic Longrain restaurants, this dish is quite similar in taste.

Ingredients

Pork Belly

• 1.5kg pork belly, skin on
• 2 tbsp coarse sea salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper for seasoning

Caramel Vinegar

•  1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Dash of salt and pepper
• 4 wide strips orange peel
• Juice of 1 orange

Method

Pork Belly

Preheat oven to 220 degrees
Using a stanley knife, score the pork skin in a criss-cross pattern

Rub the coarse sea salt into the pork skin and leave for 30 minutes.
Wipe the salt and any excess moisture off the pork belly skin with paper towel
Coat the base of a roasting pan with olive oil and place the pork belly in the pan, skin-side down

Rub the remaining olive oil on the other side of the pork belly and lightly season with salt and pepper
Transfer to the oven for 30 minutes
After 30 minutes, reduce the heat to 190 degrees and cook for a further 1.5 hours
After 1.5 hours, remove the roasting pan and flip the pork so that the skin-side is facing up

Return to the oven and turn oven heat to high
Continue to roast the pork until the skin is crisp
When skin is crisp, remove from the oven and let rest, covered in tinfoil, for 15 minutes.
Carve and transfer to serving platter

Caramel Vinegar

In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, vinegar, cinnamon and star anise.
Bring to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes
Add the chicken stock and simmer for a further 5 minutes
Add the orange peel and juice and simmer until reduced to a syrupy consistency
Drizzle the syrupy vinegar over the pork belly platter