Pork Belly with Cider Gravy and Apple Sauce

• 1.2 kg Pork belly, skin on
• 2 tsp Fine sea salt
• 1 tsp Black pepper
• 700 g Apple, Bramley apples preferred
• 40 g Unsalted butter
• 3 Shallot
• 350 ml Cider, dry
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard

1. Heat the oven to 240°C (465°F). Pat the pork belly skin very dry, then score the skin with a sharp knife in shallow lines, taking care not to cut into the meat. Rub all over with the fine sea salt and black pepper.
2. Put the pork belly in a roasting pan, skin-side up, and roast for 30 minutes until the skin starts to blister. Reduce the oven to 170°C (340°F) and roast for 70 minutes more, until the meat is very tender and the skin is crisp. If the crackling needs extra colour, increase the oven to 220°C (430°F) for 5 to 10 minutes at the end, watching closely.
3. While the pork roasts, peel, core and cut the apples into chunks. Put them in a saucepan with 20 g of the unsalted butter and a pinch of the fine sea salt, then cook over a low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples collapse into a rough purée. Keep warm on the lowest heat, or cover and set aside.
4. Lift the pork belly onto a board and rest for 10 minutes. Carefully pour off most of the fat from the roasting pan into a heatproof bowl, leaving the browned juices behind. Skim off any excess fat that remains on the surface of the juices.
5. Peel and finely chop the shallots. Put the roasting pan over a medium heat on the hob (or scrape the juices into a saucepan), add the remaining 20 g unsalted butter and cook the shallots for 3 to 4 minutes until softened. Pour in the cider and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, scraping up the sticky bits, until slightly reduced.
6. Whisk in the Dijon mustard and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until the gravy looks glossy and lightly thickened. Taste and adjust with a little more fine sea salt and black pepper if needed. Slice the pork belly and serve with the cider gravy and apple sauce.

Made this recipe? Rate it — a comment is optional.