Roast Pork Belly with Orange & Cloves

The preparation time for this Roast Pork Belly with Orange & Cloves is quick but the cooking time is long.

First pre-heat your oven until it is really hot – top of the range!

Put 6-8 garlic cloves (not peeled), peel of 1 orange (peeled with a vegetable peeler), 8 cloves and a cinnamon stick onto the bottom of a roasting pan – placing them under where the pork belly will be – this is important because if some of them are not under the meat they will burn – I know from experience!

Rub the underneath (non skin side) of the pork belly with a tablespoon of salt and rub the skin side with another tablespoon.  I know it sounds like a lot but it will help the skin to crisp up.  Hopefully the skin will already have been scored by your butcher.  If it hasn't you will need to do it – very carefully with a very sharp knife.

Press 7-8 cloves into the skin, put the pork into the roasting tin on top of your garlic etc.

Now you just put it into the oven – and turn the oven down straight away to a low/moderate heat.  The high heat will crackle up the skin but the falling temperature will ensure the meat stays moist.  Five to six hours later you will have some great meat.

Take the meat out of the pan and let it rest while you prepare the sauce.  Strain the juices from the pan and then heat up to boiling – Add a good splosh of brandy and the juice from the orange you peeled.  By the way I found it best to peel the orange before juicing it.

Add a teaspoon or so of sugar to taste and boil it for 5 minutes or so to concentrate and thicken the sauce. 

Slice the pork belly, drizzle the sauce over it and there you have it.