Greek-style pork belly and leeks

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hellenika pork belly

Greek-style pork belly and leeks

Pork belly is a boneless cut of fatty meat derived from the belly of a pig. Pork belly is popular in Asian cuisine, and forms a part of many traditional European dishes such as the Alsatian Choucroute garnie, the Swiss Berner Platte, and the German Schlachtplatte. In the United States, bacon is most often made from pork bellies.

A 100-gram serving of pork belly typically has about 520 calories. The calorie breakdown is: 92% fat (53 g), 0% (0 g) carbohydrates, and 8% (9 g) protein.

This cut of meat is enormously popular in Chinese cuisine and Korean cuisine. In Chinese cuisine, it is usually diced, browned then slowly braised with skin on, or sometimes marinated and cooked as a whole slab. Pork belly is used to make Slowly Braised Pork Belly or Dongpo pork in China (Sweet and Sour Pork is made with pork fillet). Koreans cook Samgyeopsal on a grill with garlic, often accompanied by soju. Uncured whole pork belly has more recently become a popular dish in restaurants in the United States as well.

Greek-style pork belly and leeks

Serves 4-6

Preparation time: 30 minutes (+ 6-8 hours to shape the pork)

Cooking time: 2 1/2 hours

Skills needed: Basic

Ingredients:

2kg pork belly (rind on)

100ml extra virgin olive oil

150g Maldon sea salt

8 leeks

100ml lemon juice (reserve a little for finishing the dish)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 220C. Using a craft knife or Stanley knife, lightly score the skin of the pork belly, making even, shallow 2mm cuts, 1cm apart.

Using half the oil, rub oil and salt into all sides of the pork, almost like a massage. This is the key to gaining a crispy finish.

Place the pork in a 30x40cm roasting tin, skin side up, and roast in the oven for 40 minutes or until crackling starts to form.

Reduce the oven temperature to 190C and continue cooking the pork for a further two hours. At this point add 1 litre of water to the tray so the flesh stays moist.

Once the pork is ready, take out of the oven and set aside for at least 6 hours. Put a tray on top and press with something heavy. This will help to set the shape.

Cut the pork into 2cm-thick slices with a sharp serrated knife. Ideally at this point you would preheat a char-grill, but a hot frying pan is more than adequate to reheat the pork. The char-grill just adds a lovely smoky finish to the pork.

To prepare the leeks, wash thoroughly to remove any grit. Cut in half lengthways and then in 4cm slices. Heat most of the remaining olive oil in a pan, add leeks and saute until soft. At this stage add most of the lemon juice and reduce this liquid, season to taste.

To serve, place leeks on a plate and put the pork on top. Finish with a little lemon and olive oil mixed together.

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CHEF’S TOP TIPS

1. “You need to cook the pork 6-8 hours in advance so you have time to press and set it in to shape to get a perfect result,” says chef Bryan Kelly.

2. “By cooking the pork ahead of time you’ll also get an amazing stock from it. Add this to the leeks once they are soft and you’ll get a lovely, rich finish.”

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Want the recipe for a signature dish at your favourite restaurant? Send your requests to [email protected]

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