Belly pork with piccalilli purée
Belly pork recipes tend to benefit from a slow cook. Sat Baines uses a water bath for his creation.
Equipment and preparation: You’ll need a temperature-controlled water bath and sous vide bags.
Ingredients
For the belly pork
- 650g/1lb 6oz pork belly
- 150g/5oz salt
- 50ml/2fl oz soy sauce
- 50g/2oz honey
- 25ml/1fl oz mirin
- 25ml/1fl oz sesame oil
- 4 slices shonka ham (available from specialist butchers)
For the piccallili
- ½ cauliflower head, roughly chopped
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 50g/2oz salt
- 600ml/1pint 1fl oz white wine vinegar
- 300ml/11fl oz malt vinegar
- pinch dried chilli
- 2 tsp cornflour
- 15²µ/½´Ç³ú turmeric
- 25g/1oz English mustard powder
- 125²µ/4½´Ç³ú sugar
- ½ cucumber, peeled, seeds removed
For the apples
- 2 Granny Smith apples
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- pinch salt
- 1 tbsp apple balsamic vinegar
For the cauliflower salad
- 4 large cauliflower florets, thinly sliced on a mandolin
- 1 lemon, juice only
- sea salt
- 3 tbsp coriander cress
- 1 tsp ground cumin
Method
Rub the meat side of the pork belly with the salt. Cover with clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 24 hours.
Remove the pork from the fridge and rinse under cold running water for at least 20 minutes.
Place the pork in a sous vide bag and vacuum seal.
Heat a water bath to 72C/160F and place the pork in the bath for 24 hours. Alternatively, place into a pressure cooker, cover and cook for one hour.
Once cooked, place the sealed pork between two baking trays. Gently press down with a weight and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 12 hours. Once pressed cut the pork into squares.
Place the soy, honey, mirin and sesame oil into a bowl and whisk together until fully emulsified into a teriyaki sauce.
Heat a frying pan until hot. Add the pork skin-side down and fry on each side until caramelised. Spoon the teriyaki sauce over to glaze the pork. Remove the meat from the pan and place onto a chopping board. Place the shonka ham over the top and fold over the edges.
For the piccalilli, place the cauliflower and onion into a colander. Cover with the salt and set aside for 24 hours. Rinse away the salt thoroughly under cold running water.
Mix the cauliflower and onion with the cucumber until well combined.
Bring the vinegars to the boil with the chilli, turn off the heat and set aside to infuse for 20 minutes.
Bring the vinegar mixture to the boil again. Stir in the corn flour, turmeric, mustard and sugar and simmer for three minutes.
Pour the simmering liquid over the vegetables, transfer to a food processor and blend until smooth. Pass through a fine sieve and chill in the fridge until required.
Meanwhile, cut the apples into 1.5cm/½in cubes. Dress the cubes with the lemon juice, salt and a drop of apple balsamic.
For the cauliflower salad, mix the cauliflower with lemon juice and sea salt.
To serve, brush the piccalilli across the plate. Add a piece of pork on top and scatter over the apple and finish with the cauliflower salad.