Belly of Pork

[Im a BusyBee]

Ive bought some from my butchers cos i could just imagine it cooked all crispy but not sure what to do with it to be sure it turns out succesfully. please can you tell me temperature, timing etc many thanks

[theonlyone]

Is this a joint or strips or the thick end ? Not that it matters just put it in the oven middle rack ,gas 6 , electric 160c , it will take a while as it's a cheap cut but really nice , you will have loads of fat out of it . It's done when the crackling is crunchy and bubbly , we have it quite often but it's trial and error the 1st time you cook it , enjoy !!

[mr-wonderful]

Make sure u score the fat maaaan and it will nice and crispy just like mamma use dto make yaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[Im a BusyBee]

thanks for that.......what about if i put it in slow cooker while im at work and just put it in hot oven when i get home to make it crunchy? it is a long piece very thin though - probably not very healthy eating!!!

[Im a BusyBee]

i got the butcher to do that for me mr!

[Ice.Maiden]

Best to cook it in a conventional oven - for quite a while. Rub a bit of salt onto the sides, and you should get some lovely crackling.

[mr-wonderful]

Remove the fat. Cook the pork in the slow cooker. Cook the fat in the oven

[theonlyone]

Put it in the oven , if it not a big piece it will take maybe 1+1/2 hour , don't rush it a worth waiting for !!!!

[Im a BusyBee]

i would have guessed to put it on much hotter than 160 - does that really make the crackling at such a low heat?

[mr-wonderful]

Put the oven on very hot but ut your piggie right at the bottom for 2 hours

[perigra]

before cooking dry the skin with kitchen role then salt it. give the salt time to draw out more water. dry that off again then salt it again, this will help to give great crackling!!
cook it in the oven at about 160 - 180 nice and slow!

[puddicat]

Depends what size it is, is it a whole piece rolled stringed and scored if so, rub score fat with oil and sea salt put in high oven say 200 220 degrees for about 10 to 15 minutes till the crackling starts to bubble and crisp even more depending on weight, then turn down to low say 160 for 45minutes or more as again on size, p.s , place meat on a rack if you can so the juices run out, i put a wee drop of water at the bottom of the tin for someone reason it keeps the meat moist, if you have a fan oven remember the cooking times will be different!