WILLOW GRILL’S CARAMELISED PORK BELLY RECIPE
It’s one of the best-selling dishes on our menu at Willow Grill restaurant, and here we share the Caramelised Pork Belly recipe.
Made with pork from Margaret River Gourmet Meats and ginger, garlic, coriander and lime, it has a wonderful Asian flavour.
This recipe takes time, preparing Master Stock and twice-cooking the pork, but it’s not tricky – it just requires keeping a lazy eye on it most of the time. And you prepare a Master Stock which you can use again. As with many slow-cooked recipes you’ll have an unctuous, flavoursome meal to enjoy after light to moderate kitchen duties.
I’d serve this dish with a dry riesling – a light, delicate wine with luscious aromatics.
Let us know how you enjoy this recipe – share a photo on facebook or email me at gm@staymargaretriver.com.au
And if you have any recipe requests please let me know!
Cheers
Justin Hickman
GM, Chef and Foodie
Caramelised Pork Belly
Ingredients
• 1 pork belly around 4.5kg
Master stock Ingredients
• 6 Litres Water
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 knob ginger
• 2 onions
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 star anise
• 375 ml light soy
• 375 ml Chinese wine
• 75g palm sugar
Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave in the fridge overnight. This master stock can hold in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and gets better over time.
Caramelised Pork Belly Sauce Ingredients
• 2 x shallots
• 1 Tblsp rice wine vinegar
• 300g brown sugar
• 1Tblsp fish sauce
• 1Tblsp lime juice
• 1 cup Fresh coriander
• 1 cup master stock
Place all ingredients in a blender and puree
Place the puree into a saucepan with 1 more cup master stock and bring to the boil for 2 minutes.
Leave in the fridge overnight to cool.
Place 1 pork belly or half in a casserole dish and cover with master stock.
Cover the dish with a lid or foil and place in the oven at 170 degrees celcius (160 decrees if you have a fan forced oven).
Braise the pork for 90 minutes then check the levels of the master stock. If the pork is not covered, add more master stock. Braise for a further 60 minutes.
Remove the pork from the liquid and cool down in the fridge overnight. Discard the used master stock.
The next day, cut the pork belly into 2cm strips. Cut across the width of the belly, not the length.
Heat a pan and add 1 strip of belly to the pan to seal all sides. There is no need for oil as the fat from the belly with grease the pan as the belly heats up.
Once it is sealed on all sides, please 1 ladle of caramelised sauce in the pan and bring it to the boil. Reduce the liquid until large bubbles are forming and the sauce is thick and sticky. Remove the sauce before it is completely reduced as the sugar will continue to cook after it is removed from the heat.
