Brined and Pressed Suckling Pig Belly

Name: Brined and Pressed Suckling Pig Belly
Prep time: 23 h
Cook time: 8 h
Yield: Serves 5 - 6
Ingredients: 1kg suckling pig belly; 5% brine made of sea salt (see instructions below); 10 bay leaves; 1 tablespoon fennel seeds; 8 black peppercorns; 2 star anise; 1 large onion, peeled and thickly sliced; 2 sticks celery, roughly chopped; 150ml white wine; Mashed potato and roasted fennel or other vegetables, to serve

Brined and Pressed Suckling Pig Belly

Feeds 5 - 6 people
Prep time 1380m
Cook time 480m

Description

Suckling pig is incredibly tender and makes a special centrepiece to a meal. This recipe takes a couple of days to prepare but the hands-on time is minimal, so it’s just a case of waiting patiently to cook this beautiful piece of meat. Brining keeps the meat moist, while slow cooking then pressing it means that you will get a perfect shape and golden, crisp skin, every time!

Ingredients

1kg suckling pig belly
5% brine made of sea salt (see instructions below)
10 bay leaves
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
8 black peppercorns
2 star anise
1 large onion, peeled and thickly sliced
2 sticks celery, roughly chopped
150ml white wine
Mashed potato and roasted fennel or other vegetables, to serve

Method

Place a non-reactive bowl large enough to hold the pork belly and brine onto kitchen scales and set to zero.
Place the pork belly in the bowl and cover with water. Note the weight and multiply it by 0.05 to calculate the amount of sea salt needed for your brine.
Add the salt, 6 bay leaves, fennel seeds, black peppercorns and star anise and mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Remove the pork belly from the brine and preheat the oven to 120C.
Place the onion, celery and white wine into a roasting tin and sit the pork belly on top. Don’t add any salt, because the pork belly has already been brined. Cover tightly with foil and cook for 6-8 hours, or until the bones can be pulled out very easily.
After this time, remove from the roasting tin and place on a baking tray. Place another baking tray on top and press it down with something heavy. Refrigerate for at least a few hours, or overnight if possible.
When you’re ready to cook and serve the pork belly, cut it into neat pieces and cook skin side down in a hot frying pan over a low to medium heat until crisp and golden. Turn over and cook for another minute or two.
Serve with mashed potato and roasted fennel.

Brined and Pressed Suckling Pig Belly

Brined and Pressed Suckling Pig Belly

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