Slow Braaied Belly of Pork
Slow Braaied Belly of Pork with Ginger-Caramel Sauce
This week I will be braaiing a belly of pork which will give you everything you could want from one dish. This has become a dish that every pub and restaurant seems to have on their menu and the reason for this is that its cheap to make. The only problem is that it take a long time to cook as you need to do this nice and slowly so that all the excess fat is melted away.
Serves 4-6 - Prep: 30 mins - Cook Time: 4-5 hours
Ingredients for Ginger-Caramel Sauce
- ¼ cup of palm sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 x red chillies cut into slithers
- 2 x green chillies cut into slithers
- 1 x root of fresh ginger cut into slithers
- 2 tbs Thai fish sauce
- 1 x juice of fresh lime
Ingredients for Pork
- 3 kg of Belly of pork with ribs left on
- 2 x Cups of chicken stock
- 1 x cup of soy sauce
- 2 x star anise
- 1 x cinnamon stick
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tbs salt
- 1 tbs juniper berries
Method for making Caramel Sauce
- In a saucepan, slowly bring the palm sugar and water to the boil.
- Simmer until mixture starts to caramelise.
- Add the chillies, ginger, Thai fish sauce and lime juice and cook slowly for 2 more minutes
Method for cooking Pork
- Preheat the Braai to 300°C (570°F)
- Score the pork in lines about 2.5cm/1 inch apart, just through the skin.
- Rub the salt into the skin, this will help it crisp up
- Place the pork into a deep pan
- Add stock and spice to the pan, place in the braai and close the lid for 15-20 mins, so that it seals the meat nicely
- Bring the heat of the braai down to 180°C (355°F) cover and leave to cook for 3-4hrs
- Make sure that you check that the stock has not evaporated, if it does add some water to it
You can serve this with mashed potatoes and vegetables or rice and salad, whatever take your fancy. I've gone with the mash and veg as it's turning cold over here now and this makes for a great winters evening dinner.
To serve this you are going to have to dissect the pork into its three different components. Take the meat off the braai (or out of the oven) and leave to sit for 20 mins, this will relax the meat and stop the juices from coming out.
Then slide a sharp knife under the skin and take it off so that you can either put it back on the braai or under a hot grill to crisp up quickly and make the crackling crispy.
Next slide the knife under the main part of the meat but just over the ribs. This will separate the two, see images for this. Cut the ribs up and portion the meat ready to serve.
As you can see this makes for a hearty meal on a cold day, plate up and the pour the Caramel sauce over the meat and potato (definitely not the crackling) serve up the freshly steamed vegetables and you're ready to go. This will lift the whole dish and give it the wow factor.