Tamworth Pork Belly with Homemade Applesauce

Corey’s Tamworth Pork Belly with Homemade Applesauce

 All I can say is: “This kid’s got talent!”

No, you cannot imagine what this tastes like. Even if you have had incredible pork belly.

Corey came over to teach me some of his insights for my website and blog posts as well as to cook with me. We had a blast cooking a great meal, but never got to the technology. Cooking together will do that. It is just so much fun! He wanted to make some pork belly for part of the meal. I happen to have a half a Tamworth Pig in my freezer, so out came some pork belly. Hmmm… he forgot his recipe. No matter.

 The rind was so tough, even my best knives (and we both have great knives) wouldn’ t cut into it. Out came the lame I use for scoring my bread dough. He needed two to finish the scoring! Gorgeous, isn’t it? We only had the afternoon, so we had no time to sous vide the belly, or anything so technical. His thought: brown the skin and then finish it in the oven.

 Not a bad idea, eh? Look at that beauty? His second thought: got any applesauce, Valerie? Well, as a matter of fact, I do. The very same sauce I made from Corey and Katherine’s apples a year and a half ago. No sweetener. Nothing but apples. In it went.

 I was not as confident as Corey was about the apple sauce. I have paired pork belly with braised cabbage, but could not get my head around apple with this already very sweet meat.

 Wrong. It hasn’t been the first time, either. Big wrong.

 The pork belly was sumptuous: delicious, decadent, gooey fatty goodness. It was a familiar delicacy and I was impressed that this could be accomplished in one afternoon in the oven. But, the over the top finish?

You already know. I have not been subtle. The apple sauce was deadly delicious. The flavour from the belly had permeated completely through the sauce and the tartness of the fruit partnered with the savoury crusty bottom of the pan was a knock-out hit. Yyyyy-uuuum-ers!

 One bite was plenty. Too rich for any more. Vanja snuck a little more before bed, though. 🙂

 

Pork Belly with Apple Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

• small portion of pork belly (Corey cut it in half)
• applesauce, unsweetened and homemade, if possible
• salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Wash and pat pork belly dry
2. Season all sides with salt and pepper
3. Score skin side
4. Pre-heat oven to 300°F
5. Place in hot frying pan, skin side down, and brown skin
6. Flip pork belly and cook in the oven, covered, for 3 hours
7. Remove belly from oven; increase heat to 400°F
8. Add applesauce, using tongs to ensure sauce is under pork belly
9. Replace pan in the oven for another 45 minutes to an hour, with the lid on; remove the lid to crisp up the skin for the last 15 minutes
10. Serve small portions on top of the porky applesauce and get ready to lose all dining sensibility!