Pork Belly
Pork belly should not be something that you only order at fancy restaurants and pay big bucks for. Once you have made it and realise how easy it is, and how tasty it can be with the simplest of ingredients, it will rise to an easy weekday dinner or minimal-effort crowd pleaser. Sometimes the best ingredient for the most complex flavour, is time.
Ingredients
- 1 kg pork belly
- 1 tsp cumin, ground
- 1 tsp coriander, ground
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp Liviana® Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Method
- Score the pork belly’s skin into 2 cm triangles. Cut just through the skin and not into the meat.
- Turn the pork belly around and season the meat with the cumin, coriander, thyme and salt.
- Turn around and tap the skin dry with a kitchen towel, and brush with apple cider vinegar. Place it into the air fryer, skin-side up, directly onto the air fryer’s basket’s grill to allow all rendered fat to drip into the basket.
- Air-fry the pork belly at 90°C for 30 minutes to dry out the skin.
- Remove the pork belly from the air fryer after 30 minutes. Brush the pork belly’s skin with Liviana® Extra Virgin Olive Oil and season with some coriander, cumin, and salt.
- Return the pork belly to the air fryer and allow to cook for a further 90 minutes at 160°C until the crackling turns golden brown and crispy.
- While the pork belly is cooking, prepare the sauce. Combine all the ingredients in a small sauce pan. Bring to the boil and sinmer for 5 minutes.
- Brush the pork belly every 30 minutes with the sauce.
- Pour the rest of the sauce over the pork belly when it is cooked and set aside to rest for 15 minutes before slicing it.
Wilna Eksteen
Registered Dietitian