Crispy-Skin Roasted Pork Belly with Roast Potatoes & Fennel

About 2½–3 hours (mostly roasting time)Serves: 4–6

Ingredients

Pork Belly:

1.2–1.5 kg (2.5–3 lb) pork belly, skin on

1 tbsp fine sea salt, plus extra for seasoning

1 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil

CRUX BBQ ROOIBOS PORK RUB

Roast Potatoes

1 kg Maris Piper Potatoes

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt & pepper

1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped (optional)

Roast Fennel

3 bulbs fennel, trimmed and quartered

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt & pepper

Method:

Prepare the Pork Belly, the night before:

Score the skin: Use a very sharp knife or box cutter to score the pork skin in ½ cm lines (don’t cut into the meat), dry the skin with paper towels. The drier, the crispier. Rub 1 tsp salt + 1 tsp baking powder over the skin.

Flip over, dust with CRUX ROOIBOS PORK RUB and leave uncovered in the fridge overnight (or at least 3 hours) to air-dry.

Roasting the Pork Belly

Preheat oven to 200°C. Place pork skin-side up on a wire rack over the tray and rub the skin lightly with 1 tbsp oil and sprinkle generously with salt. Roast at 220°C for 30 minutes — this starts the crackling. Then reduce to 160°C / 320°F and roast another 1½ hours, until tender.

Roast the Potatoes

Peel and quarter the potatoes. Parboil in salted water for 8–10 min until just tender. Drain, shake in the pot to roughen edges. Toss with oil, salt and then spread on a hot tray and roast at 200°C / 400°F for 45–50 min, turning once, until golden and crisp.

Roast the Fennel

Toss fennel quarters in olive oil and salt and pepper and roast on a tray at 200°C / 400°F for 35–40 min, until caramelized and tender, turning halfway.

Rest the pork belly for 15 minutes before slicing and pour off the pan juices, skim fat, and reduce slightly for a light jus.

Serve thick slices of pork belly with crispy potatoes and roasted fennel wedges, spoon over jus.

Wine Pairing

Dry Riesling, Chardonnay, or Pinot Noir

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