pork belly

Rich in fat and salt, the humble pork belly fuses the crunch of crispy skin with tender, juicy meat making it one of the most popular meat dishes in restaurants around the world. Here at Di Censo Fine Foods, we stock outdoor bred and ethically farmed Mt Mercer pork, so you can cook your pork belly at home to perfection, using the best produce we have on offer!

Pork belly preparation

  • Remove the pork belly from its packaging and pat the meat down to remove any moisture.
  • Using a sharp knife score the skin at 1 cm intervals being careful not to cut into the flesh.
  • Leave the scored pork belly uncovered in the fridge for at least an hour, if you have the time, leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight. This further drys out the rind which should result in a perfect crackling once cooked!
  • Once the drying phase has taken place, remove the pork from the fridge and pour over boiling water and once again pat down the meat until it is dry. Although this sounds weird, using a hairdryer sucks out any left over moisture in the rind and will almost certainly guarantee a perfect crispy skin!
  • Rub the skin generously with olive oil and sea salt, which encourages the fat to run out and the skin to gain its famous crispy texture. If you are after more than sea salt and oil try making up your own spice rubs. Popular with pork is combining garlic, thyme, fennel and peppercorns or salt, pepper, garlic, chilli, brown sugar and paprika.

Alternatively you could reverse the order of preparation to create a greater depth of flavour by:

  • Scoring the rind at 1 cm intervals,
  • Pouring over the boiled water,
  • Patting dry the meat or using a hairdryer,
  • Adding your olive oil and seasoning rub
  • Placing in the fridge uncovered, ideally overnight to enhance the flavour.

Cooking pork belly to perfection

Australian Pork recommends placing the pork belly on a wire rack over a baking tray and placing it into a preheated hot oven of 240-250°C for up to 50 min or until the rind starts to crackle.

Then to ensure a tender, juicy belly, turn down the heat to 180°C for a further 25 min or until the juices run clear when pierced with a skewer. To be 100% sure you’ve cooked the meat to perfection, the internal temperature (measured using a meat thermometer) should be between 63°C- 70°C.

Rest your pork belly for 10 min prior to serving and enjoy!!

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