This is a dish we have made countless times at our house. It is a real favourite when we have our family get-together dinners. It’s so easy to prepare and make. All the magic happens via the slowing cooking process in the oven.
The slow cooked pork belly is amazingly juicy & tender. The crackling is perfectly crisp. The caramel sauce beautifully enhances the pork flavour for a mildly sweet finish. A dish you will have again and again.
At times in the past we’ve had variable success in getting a nice crispy crackling finish on our pork. Using this recipe we have never had any problems, and it has been cooked many, many times. I would almost say it is foolproof. You just need to be alert during the final grilling stages so that you don’t burn your crackling.
Without a doubt, this is a show stopping main meal to have when guests come round. We like to serve with roasted potato and broccolini, however it’s really your choice as to which vegetables to serve, or even a salad if you prefer.
Print Recipe
Pork Belly With Caramel Sauce
Instructions
Pork Belly
Ideally, the day before cooking, dry the pork belly with a paper towel.
At approx 1cm spacing, score the rind with a sharp knife. Make sure to cut through the top layer.
Sprinkle salt all over the rind and rub into the skin.
Place uncovered into the fridge overnight.
When ready to cook, remove pork belly from fridge and wipe down with a paper towel.
Pre-heat a fan forced oven to 150°C (300°F).
Lightly sprinkle additional salt over the the rind and rub into the skin.
Place pork on a rack in a baking tray.
Pour approx 1.5 - 2cm of water into the base of the tray. Make sure the water is below and not touching the pork belly.
Roast pork belly for 3 hours.
Change oven temperature to 200°C (390°F) and set function to Grill.
Grill pork for approx 5 - 10 minutes until the skin is crisp. Grill time will depend on your oven and proximity to the grill. Be vigilant to not burn the rind.
Remove from oven, slice and serve.
Caramel Sauce
In a small saucepan over low heat, add caster sugar and 2 tbsp coconut water. Stir until sugar dissolves.
Bring to boil and cook, without stirring, until a caramel colour starts to emerge, then remove from heat. Be careful not to let the solution burn and let the colour evolve too much before removing from heat.
Add remaining coconut water and continue stirring until fully mixed and caramel dissolves if required.
Add soy sauce, fish sauce and lime juice, stir to mix through then return to low heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and pour into a jug.
Vegetables
For the potatoes, place in a baking dish and sprinkle with olive oil and garlic salt. Stir to mix through and coat the potatoes.
Approx 90 minutes before the pork is ready place potatoes in the oven and cook with the pork until done.
After about 45 minutes remove dish from oven and stir potatoes before returning to oven.
Remove from oven when the pork is done and serve.
For the Broccolini, place in a steamer and steam heat for about 3 minutes or until tender. Note: heat in microwave if preferred.
John 
