Roast pork belly

Step 1

Pre-heat oven to 240ºC (220ºc Fan).

Step 2

Rub 25ml of oil over the skin of the pork. In a pestle and mortar crush fennel seeds and salt and rub liberally all over pork joint.

Step 3

In a large roasting tin place fennel, onions, carrots and celery to form a trivet that the pork will sit on. Add garlic, thyme, star anise, black peppercorns and remaining oil. Toss together.

Step 4

Lay pork belly over the vegetables and cook in oven for 30mins or until the crackling starts to crisp up.

Step 5

Turn oven down to 190ºC (170ºc Fan) and add half the bottle of wine to roasting tray. Cook for a further 60-90min.

Step 6

After this, add rest of wine to the tray and cook for a further hour.  The meat should be soft and tender. If the skin is not as crisp as required turn the oven temp back up to 240ºC (220ºc Fan) for remaining 15 mins of cooking.

Step 7

Remove pork belly, cover with foil and allow to rest while you make gravy.

Step 8

To make gravy put roasting tin with all leftover juices over hob on medium heat. Add flour and stir, allowing the juices to cook out and thicken for a minute. Add a little water to thickened pan juices, and bring to a slow boil until it turns into a sauce consistency. Pass the sauce through a sieve to remove any lump and leftover veggies, and check seasoning.

Step 9

Slice pork into six equal pieces, and serve alongside gravy with mash and your choice of vegetables.