SLOW-ROASTED PORK BELLY WITH FENNEL
Pork is a very sweet meat, so it’s nice to add the vibrant anise flavor of fennel. You’ve got to take your time cooking pork belly, making sure the crackling on top is beautifully roasted while the meat beneath braises gently in the pan’s juices. Cutting diamonds in the skin allows the seasoning to really penetrate, and although it may seem odd, adding more salt after you’ve seared it really helps the skin to crisp up. Serve with scalloped potatoes and broccoli.
Servings
4
Servings
4
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Score the pork belly skin diagonally in a diamond pattern at ½-inch intervals. Season generously with salt and pepper, rubbing it well into the skin.
  3. Put the fennel, bay leaves, garlic, cardamom, star anise, and half the fennel seeds into a hot roasting pan on the stovetop with a little oil and heat for about 2 minutes until aromatic. Push to the side of the pan, then add the pork, skin side down, and cook for at least 5 minutes until turning golden brown. Turn the pork over, season the skin again with salt, and sprinkle with the remaining fennel seeds. Pour in the wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up the bits from the bottom (be careful not to get the skin of the pork wet). Bring to a boil, then pour in enough stock to come up to a layer of fat just below the skin and allow to boil again.
  4. Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and cook for 2½ hours.
  5. Transfer the meat to a warm plate and set aside to rest. Meanwhile, spoon off any excess fat in the roasting pan or drag a slice of bread along the surface of the cooking juices to absorb it. Heat the pan on the stovetop, adding the mustard. Mix in with a whisk, then taste and adjust the flavors as necessary. Remove the star anise and cardamom pods and pour the sauce into a pitcher. Serve the rested pork with the sauce alongside.
HOW TO SEASON PORK SKIN
  1. If you slightly bend the pork as you are rubbing in the salt and fennel seeds, it will open up the diamond incisions in the rind, making it easier for the flavors to penetrate.