Slow Roasted Pork Belly

The meat in this goes wonderfully soft and is self-basted by the fat of the belly. Serve it with some moist vegetables and an apple sauce, I prefer the softness of mashed potato to roast potatoes for this.

Ingredients:

• 5 large garlic bulbs, the tops sliced off
• approx 1kg pork belly
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1/2 tsp salt

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees celsius.
2. If using a butcher to buy the pork belly, ask them to score the skin on the top. If not then get your sharpest knife and score parallel lines in it, under 1cm apart.
3. Place the garlic bulbs in a large roasting tin and then prop the pork belly, skin side up, on top of them.
4. Rub the thyme over the top of the pork and then sprinkle the salt over it.
5. Leave to rest for 15 minutes so that the salt can draw out some of the moisture.
6. Put in the oven and roast for 25 minutes.
7. Reduce the temperature to 160 and continue to cook for an hour.
8. Finally reduce the temperature to 120 and cook for another four hours.
9. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Serves 4.