Crispy Pork Belly Sliders, Pickled Charred Onion + Mayo
Who can go past Crispy Pork? I know I can’t. When done right it’s so delicious and very versatile.
Who can go past Crispy Pork? I know I can’t. When done right it’s SO delicious and very versatile. I’m putting it into sliders in this recipe, but by all means be creative and eat it with what ever you want. I must say though, DO NOT throw away that pork fat! It is bloody delicious and can be used for SO many things. I tend to pour off the fat into a bowl then stand over the roasting pan with a spoon and scrape up all the caramelised pork juices. So, so good, and even better with crusty bread.
Use the reserved fat to help add flavour to your roast veggies, it is particularly good on roasted potatoes.
Serves 8 serves (16 sliders)
Cook time: 2.5 hours
Prep Time: 15 mins
INGREDIENTS
Pork Belly
1 kg free-range pork belly, deboned
Small handful of salt flakes
Splash of olive oil
Spalsh of soy sauce
Mayo
2 eggs
1 tbs mustard, any kind
1 tbs lemon juice or vinegar
200 ml neutral oil, like grape seed
Pickled Charred Onions
2 brown onions
400ml White Wine Vinegar
3 Bay Leaves
10 Peppercorns
4 tbs raw sugar
Slaw
¼ of a cabbage, shredded
Bunch of coriander, torn
Small handful of mint, torn
1 Spring onion, finely sliced
Splash of good quality olive oil
Half a cup of the pickling liquid left over from the onions
Salt and pepper
To serve
16 small burger buns of your choice
Which ever spicy sauce you like the best
METHOD
Preheat oven to 180°C or 160°C fan.
Score pork skin using a sharp knife, be careful to cut too deep and hit the flesh. Rub in a splash of oil and large pinch of salt, all over the pork belly, making an effort to press salt into scored skin. Place pork skin side down, in a roasting pan. Bake for about an hour and 30 - 45 minutes depending on your oven.
Turn pork, skin side up. Increase oven temperature to 220°C or 200°C fan. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until skin is crisp. You should be able to ‘knock’ on it and hear that it is crispy. Remove pork from oven. Rest pork for at least 10 minutes, it will be super hot so be careful when cutting it. I like to chop it up into thin slices, place it in a bowl with a dash of soy and a bit of the rendered pork fat. The soy just adds a nice umami, salty flavour which compliments the pork.
While the pork is cooking start the charred pickled onions. Place pickling ingredients (minus the onion) into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce by one third of the original volume.
Meanwhile, heat a grill pan to high heat. Peel and cut the onions into 1cm slices. Place onion on to grill, leave onion in slices and try not to separate rings. Allow onion to blacken and char on each side then place into pickling liquid. Break the rings apart and reserve until plating.
For the mayo; break eggs into a bowl, add mustard and lemon juice. Using a bar mix blend until the ingredients combine. Slowly add the oil in a steady stream allowing the egg mixture to emulsify with the oil. Season with a good pinch of salt flakes and reserve.
Next, the slaw. Combine all the ingredients and toss thoroughly. Add as much of the onion pickling liquid as you like… I love the flavour so I drench it. Scrunch the slaw with your hands to help soften the cabbage.
Plate up! Add as much or as little as you like to your slider. I like a decent amount of pork and a huge helping of the onions. Those onions… just yum. Enjoy.
Notes
Please try and buy quality pork belly. Feast in the Adelaide Central Markets offer a range of pork belly that is South Australian raised and free range. They even sell some cuts with the skin pre scored, handy if you don’t have the greatest knives at home!