Crispy Skin Pork Belly with Apple & Fennel Slaw

Ingredients

1.5 kg Pork Belly, thick end, bones removed.
2 tblspn Sea Salt
2 tblspn Olive Oil
Black Pepper to taste

Sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tblspn Honey
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 tblspn coriander seeds, lightly crushed
2 Bay Leaves

Salad

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
pinch salt
1/2 tspn sichuan pepper
3 tblspn sugar
1 red onion
1 bulb fennel
1/4 savoy cabbage
1 lebanese cucumber
2 radish
2 red apples
1 green chilli
1 cup fresh coriander leaves

Method

Ask Craig to score the skin well, rub sea salt into the skin and refridgerate uncovered for 1 hour to allow skin to dry out.Preheat oven to 220C.Wipe sea salt off pork skin with paper towel and dry thoroughly. Drizzle a large roasting dish with olive oil. Put pork belly in skin side down, drizzle with a little more olive oil & season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 mins. Reduce oven to 190C and roast for another 1 1/2 hours. Carefully turn the pork over and roast for another 30 mins, or until the skin is crispy. Remove from oven. Do not cover. Rest for 15 mins. As the pork is cooking make the salad. Place all sauce ingredients in a small pot and cook over medium heat for 5 - 10 mins until sauce is thick. For the salad, place vinegar, salt, pepper & sugar in a large bowl.Finely slice red onion & fennel with a mandolin or V-slicer & add vinegar to soften. Use a mandolin to finely slice cabbage, cucumber, radish,apples & green chilli.Place in serving bowl and toss with fresh coriander. Just before serving, add onion and fennel to the vinegar & toss to combine. Carve pork into thick slices, drizzle with sauce & serve with salad.
Serves 4-6