Serves : 2-4 people

Prep Time : 30 minutes

Cook Time : 2 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 pound pork belly, skin on
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorn
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• 2 whole cloves
• 4 whole allspice
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sea salt
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 sprig sage
• 1 apple, quartered
• 1 lemon
• 1 onion, chopped in large pieces
• 1 fennel bulb, chopping in large pieces
• 1 large bottle of hard cider

Instructions :

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Toast spices on a sheet tray in the oven for a couple minutes until fragrant.
3. Put in a grinder or mortar with garlic clove and sage and blend/smash until fine, add the sugar and half of the salt.
4. Pat belly dry and rub with half of lemon and sprinkle spice mix on the meat (none on the skin).
5. Sprinkle the skin with salt. Place in roasting pan that fits the belly with a little room on each side.
6. Add onion and fennel around sides.
7. Roast for 1 hour or until skin starts crisping up.
8. Pour in bottle of hard cider, avoiding the pork skin
9. Cider should come up close to the top of the belly.
10. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F and roast another hour.
11. Reduce heat again to 250 degrees F and cook until you can pull the belly meat apart (approximately 1 hour).
12. Rub salt off of the skin.
13. Place on a cutting board to rest.
14. Put roasting veggies in a blender and slowly puree smooth, adding roasting juices to get desired consistency.
15. On a platter, spread roasted veggies and slice pork belly with serrated knife.
16. Place on puree and drizzle sauce around.

Enjoy!