Slow-cooked pork belly with red cabbage and mash
Check out our impressive pork belly with crunchy sweet and sour cabbage and super creamy mustard mash. There are two tricks here for perfect crackling: salting the skin overnight to dry it out, and giving it a final blast of heat while the meat rests so it can puff up and crisp
- 1.75kg boneless pork bellyskin scored heavily
- 2 tbsp sea salt
RED CABBAGE
- 25g butter
- 1 onionchopped
- 1 red cabbagesliced
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes(optional)
- 2 bramley applespeeled and diced
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp soft light brown or demerara sugar
MUSTARD MASH
- 1.5kg King Edward potatoespeeled and quartered
- 50g butter
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 100ml milk
- 4 tbsp double cream
Nutrition: per serving
- kcal1031
- fat62.9g
- saturates27.5g
- carbs57.8g
- sugars21g
- fibre8.5g
- protein54.2g
- salt2g
Method
step 1
Rub the pork all over with 1 tbsp sea salt then put on a metal rack over a dish. Put uncovered in the bottom of the fridge and leave overnight.
step 2
The next day put the whole dish in the sink and pour a kettle of boiling water over the skin. Leave to cool and drain.
step 3
Heat the oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2. Lift the pork on its rack and put over a roasting tin. Pat the skin dry with kitchen paper and sprinkle with more sea salt. Roast for 3 hours.
step 4
To make the cabbage, heat the butter in a non-stick lidded pan. Cook the onion for 5 minutes then add the cabbage and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, season and stir well, then add a splash of water and cook for 45 minutes over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender and glossy.
step 5
To make the mash, boil the potatoes in salted water until tender then drain well and push through a ricer back into the pan. Season then beat in the butter, mustard, milk and cream over a gentle heat. Cover and reheat to serve (add a little more milk when reheating if it gets too dry).
step 6
After 3 hours take the pork from the oven and turn it up to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Use a sharp knife to separate the skin from the pork then trim any excess fat. Cover the pork with foil and rest. Put the skin on a baking tray and return to the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the crackling is puffed and crisp. Cut the pork into large squares and serve with the cabbage, crackling and mash.
