Photographer: John Paul Urizar. Stylist: Michele Cranston.
This impressive recipe pairs the richness of crispy pork belly with a sweet and tangy apricot, tomato and fennel salad. Make this in the air fryer, or if you prefer, follow the separate instructions for oven cooking.
Ingredients
Method
Using a Stanley knife or small sharp knife, score the pork rind at 1cm intervals and pat dry.
Combine the apricot nectar and garlic in a shallow tray. Add the pork meat side down (rind side up) and refrigerate uncovered overnight to marinate.
Preheat the air fryer to 200°C if required. Pat pork dry with paper towel. Brush rind with oil and rub in salt.
Place the pork in the air fryer basket. Cook for 30 minutes, or until the rind is crackled and golden. Reduce the temperature to 160°C. Cook for a further 30 minutes, or until pork is tender and cooked through. Remove to a clean chopping board and rest for 15 minutes before carving.
APRICOT DRESSING Meanwhile, combine nectar, vinegar, mustard, honey and oil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and whisk to combine.
To assemble the salad, arrange the tomatoes on a platter, top with fennel, eschalot, apricots and fennel fronds. Drizzle with half the dressing.
Slice pork and serve with salad and remaining dressing.
The pork suitable to freeze.
Test Kitchen tip
How to make crispy pork belly in the oven
If you are cooking the pork in a regular oven, start off roasting at 240°C for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 160°C for a further 25 minutes.
How to prepare pork belly
Use a Stanley knife or small sharp knife to score the pork rind at 1cm intervals. Alternatively, ask your butcher to score the pork rind for you as it is difficult to do without a sharp knife.
Three tips for successful crackling
- To get crispy crackling, the pork rind needs to be really dry. Dry out the skin overnight, uncovered, in the fridge.
- Rub the rind with plenty of salt.
- Cook in a very hot oven or air fryer and don’t turn it down until the rind has started to crackle.
