Pork belly recipe with crispy skin and garlic, thyme and lemon.

Updated recipe from previous pork belly recipe with pomegranate molasses.

This slow cooked pork belly recipe capitalises on the aromatics of garlic, lemon and thyme; a three-team partnership that works wonderfully together. I love cooking pork belly, whether that is a few strips thrown into a frying pan when I’ve a case of the midnight munchies with lots of salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon or like this, slow roasted pork belly to create a super crispy skin.

The tough cuts, like shoulder, belly are great for slow cooking, they have lots of fat to render down and keep the meat moist. Lean cuts like the fillet, or loin can go incredibly dry, incredibly quick (remember those horrible pork chops your mum made that were tough as old boots?).

If you love pork – check out my slow roasted pork shoulder with apricot glaze (it’s delish!)

If there is two things that will make your pork belly skin super crispy, it is this:

• let it air dry in the fridge for 24 hours (basically leave it uncovered in the fridge)
• Score, salt and lightly oil the skin before putting it in the oven

Slow Cooked Pork Belly Recipe with Lemon, Thyme and Garlic – with crispy skin.

Pre-heated oven 160C

Ingredients:

Pork Belly(enough for everyone!)

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Generous few pinches sea salt

Few turns ground black pepper

1 lemon

1 glass white wine (250ml)

6 cloves garlic, cracked

Few sprigs of thyme

1 onion sliced

Method:

1. Preparation:
   1. Score the pork belly skin all over, careful not to cut into the flesh, dry and leave uncovered in the fridge for 24 hours or overnight.
2. Rub the vegetable oil over the skin and season generously with salt and pepper and massage in to the skin.
3. Place the sliced onion in a roasting tray and scatter with a few sprigs of thyme, then put the pork belly on top.
4. Pour the glass of wine into the tray (careful not to get the pork skin wet) and add another pint of water to the tray. Put the lemon halves, rest of the thyme and garlic into the water and pop into the oven for 2 hours at 160c. Turn the oven up to 200c for the last 15 minutes.
5. When you take it out you want to let it rest for 15 minutes (don’t cover or the crackling will go soft).

Serve with braised gem lettuce and roasted spuds!

Slow Cooked Pork Belly Recipe with Crispy Skin and Garlic, Lemon, Thyme

7th October 2018

Servings: 6

Prep: 10 min

Cook: 120 min

Total: 130 min

Difficulty: easy

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Easy slow cooked pork belly with crispy skin (crackling)

By: Theo

Ingredients

• Pre-heated oven 160C
• Pork Belly, ideally on the rib
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• Generous few pinches sea salt
• Few turns ground black pepper
• 1 lemon
• 1 glass white wine (250ml)
• 6 cloves garlic, cracked
• Few sprigs of thyme
• 1 onion sliced

Directions

• Step 1 Score the pork belly skin all over, careful not to cut into the flesh, dry and leave uncovered in the fridge for 24 hours or overnight. 
• Step 2 Rub the vegetable oil over the skin and season generously with salt and pepper and massage in to the skin. 
• Step 3 Place the sliced onion in a roasting tray and scatter with a few sprigs of thyme, then put the pork belly on top.  
• Step 4 Pour the glass of wine into the tray (careful not to get the pork skin wet) and add another pint of water to the tray. Put the lemon halves, rest of the thyme and garlic into the water and pop into the oven for 2 hours at 160c. Turn the oven up to 200c for the last 15 minutes.
• Step 5 When you take it out you want to let it rest for 15 minutes (don’t cover or the crackling will go soft).
• Step 6 Serve with braised gem lettuce and roasted spuds.