(serves 6-8)

This is a lingering Sunday lunch type of pork belly dish.  Serve with pinot noir, sourdough bread to mop up the sauce and a crispy green salad.  Begin this dish one or more days ahead and if you can manage to please do make it using duck fat.

INGREDIENTS

45g (2½ tbsp) rock salt

3 whole cloves

2 star anise

1.25kg pork belly (skin on)

sage leaves from 1 small bunch sage

1 litre melted but cool duck fat or 1 litre olive oil

Pinot Noir and Chorizo Sauce

extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp roughly chopped Italian parsley leaves

METHOD

To make salt rub:  Place rock salt, cloves and star anise into a mortar and using a pestle pound till evenly ground.

Rub salt rub all over pork belly.  Place pork belly in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 110°C.

Gently wash pork belly under running cold water to remove salt rub.  Dry pork belly.

Place half of the sage leaves into the base of a roasting tray or gratin and sit pork belly on top of sage.  (You want the pork to sit snugly in the dish you use.)  Scatter remaining sage on top of pork.

Pour duck fat or olive oil into roasting tray to submerge pork belly.

Cover roasting tray with aluminium foil, place into preheated oven and cook for 4 hours or till pork is very tender.

Remove from oven, cool and proceed to next step, or refrigerate overnight or for several days.

To serve:  Increase oven temperature to 220°C. Remove pork from fat or oil and reserve fat or oil for another use such as roasting potatoes! Cut pork into 8 rectangles and place skin-side down into clean roasting tray.

Place into preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes or till centre of meat is hot and skin is crispy.

Spoon Pinot Noir and Chorizo Sauce into warmed serving plates or bowls.  Sit a pork belly rectangle on top with crispy skin facing upwards, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with Italian parsley.  Serve immediately.

Pinot Noir and Chorizo Sauce

(makes 800ml)

Sauce is best made a day ahead for flavours to develop.  Additional sauce could be made to serve with pasta and any scraps of pork the following day. 

INGREDIENTS

30ml (2 tbsp) canola oil

180g (1) onion (finely chopped)

2½ cloves garlic (finely chopped)

pinch saffron threads

1½ tsp smoked paprika

1½ tsp tomato paste

50g pancetta or slab bacon (cut into 1cm dice)

120g (1½) chorizo sausages (peeled and minced or crumbled)

250ml (1 cup) pinot noir

200g (½ x 400ml can) peeled tomatoes in juice

750ml (3 cups) chicken stock liquid

3 sprigs thyme

250g (1 tin) cooked butter beans (drained)

1 tsp flaky sea salt

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup roughly chopped Italian parsley leaves

METHOD

Pour oil into a heavy-based pan and place over a medium heat till hot.

Add onion and cook for 4-5 minutes or till softened but not browned.  Add garlic and saffron and cook for a further 1-2 minutes or till garlic has softened.

Reduce heat to low.  Add paprika and tomato paste and stir for 4-5 minutes or till thickened.  Add pancetta and chorizo and cook for a further 2 minutes or till heated through.

Add pinot noir and bring to the boil.  Lower heat and simmer till liquid has reduced by half.

Add tomatoes, chicken stock and thyme.  Return pan to heat and simmer for 40-50 minutes or till sauce has reduced and slightly thickened.

Add beans and salt and pepper.  Cook for 10-15 minutes or till beans are very soft.  Taste for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper if required.

Add parsley and serve hot with Crispy Confit of Pork Belly.