Marinade Orange and Clove Pork Belly
Posted on 1st November 2022
Try this recipe for a lively zest and delicate spice that punches through the richness of a classic pork cut. These sweet, succulent belly slices pair wonderfully with sautéed potatoes and chargrilled courgettes!
Time – 50-60 mins
Serves – 4-6
Ingredients
6 Pork Belly Slices
1 Large Brown Onion
2 Oranges
1/2tsp Ground Cloves
1tsp Oregano
1/2tsp Salt
1/4tsp Ground Black Pepper
1½tbsp Rapeseed Oil
Directions
Prepare – Start by slicing up the onion, and zesting and juicing both of your oranges. Meanwhile, drizzle 1 tbsp of oil onto a plancha plate to heat up.
Start Frying – Once your oil is hot, you can start frying your onions. You’ll want to do this on low heat for the onion to brown in its own time.
Make sure to keep stirring the onions to prevent any burning, and don’t be afraid to add a little more oil to replace any that runs off.
Make the Marinade – Now mix up half of the orange juice, all the zest, ½tbsp oil, the cloves, oregano, pepper, and salt in a mixing bowl. This is your flavour-packed marinade.
Flavour the Pork – Add your pork to the marinade, making sure to turn the slices over until covered. Spend a couple of minutes rubbing the flavour into the meat by hand. Then, leave the pork slices to carry on marinating for 10 minutes or so while your onions brown.
IMPORTANT: You need to wash your hands thoroughly before the next step, as you have been handling raw meat.
Add the Pork – Once your onions have browned, add the pork belly slices to the plancha plate on their sides to fry – don’t forget to add the zest to the fry as well! As the pork starts to cook, move your onions to form a border around the edge of each belly slice – the onions will soak up the flavour of your marinade as it runs off the meat.
Low and Slow – Pork belly is at its best when cooked low and slow for melt-in-the-mouth tenderness, so you’ll want to keep your slices frying on medium-low heat for at least 35 minutes. It’s also important to flip your meat every four minutes or so, and keep stirring your onions, to make sure nothing burns.
As the meat cooks, it will start to dry out here and there – darkish golden brown is good, but when things start getting blackened or over-crisped, add a little drizzle of leftover marinade to keep things juicy. If you run out of marinade, you can start to use the leftover orange juice for this instead.
Make it Crispy (Optional) – If you prefer a bit more bite to your pork belly, you can finish off the slices on the grill. Just lay them on top with the fatty side facing down and let crisp for a further 8-10 minutes.
Serve and Enjoy! – Once your pork is cooked, you can plate it up in a bed of the zesty caramelised onions and serve.
