How to Make Stuffed Roast Belly Pork

Belly pork is inexpensive to buy and absolutely delicious to eat. It is almost certainly the amount of fat on the meat which puts many people off sampling this culinary delight. While we would not obviously want to eat something as fatty as belly pork every day, it is important to remember that fat equals flavour when it comes to meat and as an occasional, special treat, this dish is really something else. Crisp, crunchy crackling on the outside, followed by soft, tasty pork meat, with the added benefit in this instance of a delicious stuffing in the centre, belly pork makes a very economical and varied addition to your dinner recipe repertoire.

This is a one and a quarter pound piece of belly pork. A good guide to follow when stuffing this, to get the quantity of stuffing right, is to use one part stuffing meat to five parts belly pork. That means that a quarter pound of minced/ground meat was required in this instance.

As this particular belly pork was prepared in the week leading up to Christmas, the stuffing is turkey, sage and onion. As well as the pork and turkey meat, half a small red onion, one teaspoon of dried sage and salt and freshly ground black pepper will be required.

Moderately finely chop the red onion. Bring about a tablespoon of vegetable oil gently up to a medium heat in a small saucepan. Gently sautee the red onion for two to three minutes until it is well softened and glistening. Season with the sage, salt and pepper, stir well, cover and leave for at least twenty minutes to cool. Add the turkey to the pot and mix thoroughly to combine. You will find that your hand makes a far better job of this than any spoon.

Begin preparing the belly pork by laying it skin side uppermost on a chopping board. Take a very sharp knife and score it lengthwise at about one inch intervals to a depth of approximately a quarter inch. The tying strings will fit in to these initial scores. Secondly, score in a similar fashion at a forty-five degree angle. This makes for better presentation, rather than simply scoring vertically. Rub some white pepper and plenty of sea salt in to the skin, forcing it down in to the flesh via the scores you have made.

You will need either proper butcher's string or similar to tie the pork. Do not under any circumstances use plastic or nylon string. This piece of belly fat is around four inches wide so three lengths of string will be required to tie it at one inch intervals. Cut each piece to twelve inches longer than the meat and lay on the chopping board. Sit the pork belly on top, skin side down this time, leaving seven inches of the strings protruding on one side and five on the other, to allow it to be tied slightly off centre.

Season the meat side of the pork with salt and white pepper and lay the stuffing in the centre. Spread it out evenly to cover the full width of the pork and around a third of the total length.

Gently lift up the sides of the pork to form a stuffed package. Lift up the strings one at a time and tie (just tight enough to hold the meat together) to one side of the top with a butcher's knot. You will find that an extra pair of hands at this stage in the form of one person to hold the pork and the other to tie the knots will be be very beneficial. Trim the ends of the string with scissors to about half inch protrusions.

The stuffed belly pork will need to be cooked for twenty-five minutes per pound, plus an additional twenty-five minutes. It is a good idea to weigh it at this stage to get your calculations correct.

Preheat your oven initially to a very hot 240C/475F. This is to get the skin of the belly pork crisp. Lay the meat on a roasting tray and cook for twenty-five minutes before reducing the oven temperature to 180C/350F for the remainder of the cooking time.

Remove the pork from the oven and check it is cooked all the way through by ensuring the juices run clear. Leave to rest uncovered for at least twenty minutes while you prepare your accompaniments.

Ingredients

5 baby new potatoes
1 medium floury/starchy potato
1 medium parsnip
5 Brussels sprouts
Butter
Sea salt and white pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Tbsp Bramley apple sauce
Pickled onions

Method

It is necessary to begin the accompaniments well in advance by cooking the baby potatoes by boiling. A good timescale is to do this when your belly pork goes in to the oven. Wash the potatoes but don't peel them and add them to a pot of cold, salted water. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for thirty minutes. Drain the potatoes, return them to the empty pot, cover and set aside to cool.

Just before you remove the pork from the oven, peel the larger potato and the parsnip. Chop in to slightly larger than one inch chunks. Add to cold, salted water, bring to a boil and simmer for twenty-five minutes.

Remove any dead or damaged leaves from the Brussels sprouts. Do not make a cross mark in their core - this simply causes them to overcook and disintegrate in the pot. Add them to boiling, salted water for ten to twelve minutes.

Peel the cooled baby potatoes and deep fry in hot oil for five to six minutes before draining well on kitchen paper. Drain the potatoes and parsnips and return them to the empty pot. Add butter and white pepper and mash with a hand masher. Drain the Brussels sprouts and return them to their pot with some butter and the ground nutmeg. Gently swirl to coat them all evenly.

Carve the pork to a thickness of around an inch and plate your meal, garnishing with apple sauce and pickles if desired.

Thank you for taking the time to look at this page. I hope that the recipe appeals to you and that you very much enjoy it should you choose to make it at home.

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