Never Fail Amazing Pork Belly With Beer & Onion Gravy!
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
- 2kg/4.4lb. pork belly, rind on (I used Berkshire free range pork)
- 4-5 cups chicken stock, hot
- 4-5 tablespoons salt
- 1 tablespoon oil or butter
- 1 onion, very finely diced
- 250ml/8.83fl ozs. beer
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornflour mixed with 3 tablespoons cold water
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 150C/300F. Place the pork belly (don't score it yet) in a snug fitting baking dish and add the chicken stock so that the stock goes up the sides to the fat but does not touch or cover the rind on top.
Step 2 - Roast for 1 hour and then cover with foil and roast for 1.5 hours more topping up with more stock or water if needed. Remove from the stock and score the rind with a sharp knife. Reserve the stock for gravy (you'll also get a nice layer of lard on top as well once you refrigerate it, remove and keep the lard for something else). You can also refrigerate the belly and cook it another day if you like. The best way is to cover the meat and fat with cling film and leave the rind exposed to dry out in the fridge. The drier the rind, the crunchier the crackling.
Step 3 - Preheat oven to 200C/400F and place the pork belly on a rack. Sprinkle the salt over the rind and massage it in-it won't go in very far mind you. Then roast for 40-50 minutes. Test the crackling with a knife-if it feels crunchy then it is done. Wipe off all of the excess salt before serving.
Step 4 - While the pork is roasting make the gravy. Saute the onion in the oil or butter until translucent and then add the beer and 1 cup of the reserved stock. Simmer for 10 minutes without the lid on until it reduces. Then add the sugar and taste for flavour adding salt or more sugar if needed. Knock the heat down to low. Make a slurry by mixing cornflour with cold water and then drizzle in the cornflour mixture and stir gently and simmer until it thickens.
Restaurant Style Pommes Puree
This is an adaption of Joel Robuchon's famous pommes puree. It's a real treat and given the ratio of butter to potato I feel better making this only occasionally. I only ended up making it with home made butter because I ran out of commercial butter but it really ends up a gorgeous, velvety restaurant style mash.
- 1 kilo/2.2lbs/ potatoes
- 300ml/10.6fl ozs. cream
- Salt
Step 1 - Boil the potatoes in their skin until the skins split and they are tender. Cool until they are easier to handle.
Step 2 - Meanwhile make butter by using an electric mixer. Place the cream in a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Cover with a tea towel (because it will spit once the butter solidifies) and whisk on high for around 8 minutes or until the buttermilk separates and creates butter. Remove the butter using a spatula and reserve the buttermilk. They will both go in the potatoes.
Step 3 - Using a potato ricer pass the potatoes through the holes. Place the potatoes in a saucepan and heat on medium heat and stir with a spatula to get rid of any last traces of water and to heat the potatoes up. Heat the buttermilk and then add it in two or three lots then add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time until it is fully incorporated. Season with plenty of salt and serve.