Roasted Pork Belly!

I have to say when my husband said he was going to try a new Pork Belly recipe, I didn’t quite understand what to expect.  I wasn’t really sure if I had ever had pork belly before but he explained it’s the area of the pig where bacon comes from.  Then I was intrigued!  Who doesn’t love bacon right?  I will say this is not a recipe for a quick meal.  It takes time for the meat to cook and then another few hours for it to settle.   But it’s worth it!It starts with three simple ingredients.  Other than the pork, you will need 3 heads of garlic, a bunch of thyme and white wine!  Off to a good start!

Take your 3 pounds of pork belly and score the fat side.  I didn’t know what scoring was before my husband showed me.  It’s simply cutting through the fat side making squares.  This allows the seasonings and fat to cook together.

Cut the garlic heads in half and place in roasting pan with the thyme.

After coating the pork with olive oil, salt and pepper, place the pork on top with the fat side up.  Pour about 1/2 of the bottle of white wine in the bottom of the pan.  It should completely cover the bottom.

Cover with foil and cook at 325 degrees for 2 1/2 hours.  Remove the pork from the pan and cover for another 4-6 hours.  Time now to make the sauce.

Take the scraps from the roasting pan and put it on the stove top on medium heat.  Splash more wine in the pan and cook it down.  Add 2 cups of chicken stock and reduce down until thick.

Using a strainer, strain the sauce out of the pan and discard the garlic and thyme.  After letting the meat sit for 4-6 hours, re-heat the oven to 500 degrees and heat the pork for 10-15 minutes.

Cut the pork into slices.  Re-heat the sauces and pour over the pork.  Serve with your favorite veggies or mashed potatoes!  This was delicious!  Great meal!

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Roasted Pork Belly!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours

Total Time 9 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 pounds Pork Belly
• 3 heads Garlic
• Bunch Thyme
• Bottle White Wine
• Olive Oil for drizzling
• 2 cups Chicken Stock
• Salt & Pepper

Instructions

For the Pork

1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees
2. Cut garlic heads in half
3. Put garlic and bunch of thyme in bottom of roasting pan
4. Score the fat side of the pork
5. Drizzle pork with olive oil, salt and pepper until coated
6. Turn pork over and do the same to the other side
7. Place pork, fat side up, over garlic and thyme
8. Pour half of the bottle of wine in the bottle of the roasting pan
9. Cover with foil, cook for 2 1/2 hours
10. Take out and let sit for 4-6 hours

For the Sauce

1. Remove pork from roasting pan. Put pan with all the excess drippings of garlic and thyme on the stove and cook down on medium heat
2. Add another splash of wine and 2 cups of chicken stock
3. Reduce down until thick
4. Using a strainer, strain the sauce and discard the garlic/thyme

Re-heat Pork

1. After the 4-6 hours, re-heat the oven to 500 degrees.
2. Heat the pork for 10-15 minutes.
3. Re-heat the sauce
4. Cut the pork into slices and pour sauce over the meat.
5. Serve warm

Recipe Notes

This dish is from a Gordon Ramsey recipe...the great Gordon Ramsey! It can be made the day before and put in the refrigerator. Just heat it up the next day. It takes a long time but trust me it's worth it! Serve with mashed potatoes and a veggie.