ROAST BELLY OF PORK WITH APPLES AND ONIONS
Instructions:
- For the moistest roast pork around, head to a Chinese or Italian butcher and ask for pork belly. This cut is becoming a favorite of restaurant chefs, and deserves to be cooked at home more often, too.
- 1 piece of boneless pork belly, weighing about 41/2lb (2kg), skin finely scored on the diagonal across its width
- 1 heaped tbsp fine table salt
- 2 yellow onions, cut lengthwise into wedges
- 3 Granny Smith apples, cut lengthwise into wedges and cores removed
- 6–8 sprigs of fresh thyme
- olive oil, for drizzling
- coarse sea salt (such as Maldon), or kosher salt, and freshly milled white pepper
- Trim off and discard any excess fat from the meaty side of the belly. Wipe the skin thoroughly dry, then rub half the fine salt into the skin and in between the score lines. Set aside for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C).
- Put the onion and apple wedges in a heavy roasting pan along with the thyme, a drizzle of oil, and a good sprinkling of salt and pepper. Put the pork on top of the onions and apples and wipe the skin dry again. Sprinkle the remaining fine salt over the skin and drizzle with oil. Massage these in well, then sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
- Place the roasting pan in the hottest part of the oven and roast for 11/2 hours. Increase the temperature to 400 F (200 C) and roast for a further 45 minutes to 1 hour until the skin is crisp. Remove the pork from the oven and let stand in a warm place for about 15 minutes.
- Remove the skin and cut into thin strips, then carve the meat crosswise into neat slices. Serve the pork and skin on warmed plates, with some of the roasted onion and apple