The more I mull introspection the more I see it as an interesting phenomenon. A couple of weeks ago, I prepared Asian Style Pork Belly With Orange Sauce. I was, and still am, delighted with the dish. I ran into difficulties while thinking about writing about it. The big problem is that it’s just too easy to prepare and many people might say “That looks simple, let’s not bother.” That would be a mistake. So, for the past couple of weeks, I have wondering about how to present it. Introspective musing took over. It finally shifted this morning as I looked at a display of lovely Navel oranges in a Dublin fruit and vegetable shop. They were the same Navel oranges as I used in my sauce.
That unblocked my thinking. I got my writing idea as I was quite literally “Navel gazing”.
Ingredients
- 1.2kg piece of free range, rare breed pork belly
- 6 Navel oranges (ignore the fact that there are only 2 in the picture
- 2 teaspoons of five spice powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons of granulated brown sugar
- 2 to 3 star anise
As befits a navel gazer, there is very little to this recipe. Please don’t allow that to put you off trying it. I highly recommend it. The first thing to do is pour a kettle full of boiling water over the skin of the pork. This will tighten the skin and help with the crisping process. Pat the meat dry. Slice through the skin and layer of fat to create a nice diamond pattern. rub the meat all over with five spice, salt and pepper. Place the meat on a rack and pop it into the fridge for an hour or two.
Give the skin a rub with a little cooking oil. Place the joint, on a rack, into a very hot oven (220ºC/430ºF fan). Let it roast for 20 minutes. Turn the heat down to 180ºC/ 360ºF, no fan. Leave it to do its thing for a further 40 minutes. This should give a perfect result with tender layered meat and fat topped with a crispy spiced, salty skin.
The sauce is a doddle to do and can be completed in the time the meat is in the oven. Pour the sugar into a saucepan.
Squeeze the oranges into the same pot. Ignore any pips that get in there as they will get sieved out later. Add the star anise to the pot and place it on a medium heat. Bring it to a gentle boil and reduce by about two-thirds.
Sieve the sauce into another pot, ready for reheating and serving. I served this up on a bed of couscous seasoned with chilli, coriander, salt and pepper. It was easy and delicious.
If you find yourself getting all introspective and spend some time Navel gazing, buy the oranges and make this dish.
Mad Dog | 28th March 2019
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That pork looks done to perfection!
Conor Bofin | Author | 28th March 2019
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Thanks MD. Yes, it was just about right. Such a simple dish yet so tasty.
katechiconi | 28th March 2019
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Simply beautiful, in both senses of the word.
I rarely have time to do the whole kettle/fridge resting thing to tighten up the skin, so I’ve got into stripping off the skin when the pork is cooked and putting it under a red hot grill. It puffs up like porky popcorn and the Husband now insists on having his crackling done that way every time.
Conor Bofin | Author | 28th March 2019
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I have tried that a couple of times. I always seem to burn it. Not good on my part. Must try it again as you seem to be having success.
katechiconi | 28th March 2019
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You do have to watch it carefully and avoid distraction, but it doesn’t take long.
sallybr | 28th March 2019
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this has got to be the MOST clever blog post title in the known universe! I love it! Just brilliant!
made it hard for me to even concentrate on the recipe, which of course is equally mesmerizing….
Conor Bofin | Author | 28th March 2019
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Sally, you are too kind to me. I really enjoyed cooking this and encourage you to try it. Lovely flavours.
Pingback:Navel Gazing – Pork Belly With Orange Sauce — One Man’s Meat | My Meals are on Wheels | 28th March 2019
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Lisa O'Shea | 28th March 2019
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Yum yum
Conor Bofin | Author | 9th April 2019
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You bet ya Lisa. Very tasty. Very easy to prepare.
Eha | 28th March 2019
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Lovely deceptively simple lesson even I can follow – and shall ! Now to go to my favourite butcher and show him your piece of meat: hope to get a smile and a walk to the cool room! Oh, did ‘like’ your pouring shot on Instagram . . . you do have that perfect 🙂 !
Conor Bofin | Author | 9th April 2019
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Thanks Eha,
This is not one where any butcher worth his salt (and pepper) should have any difficulty. I enjoyed that shot. Got it first pour too. That doesn’t happen every time.
Linda Duffin | 29th March 2019
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I read that as ‘navel glazing’, must have been influenced by the pouring picture. Lovely recipe again, Conor.
Conor Bofin | Author | 9th April 2019
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As long as it doesn’t cause you to glaze over when you read it, I’m happy Mrs. P.
Linda Duffin | 13th April 2019
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Never!
StefanGourmet | 30th March 2019
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That looks great and very Conoresque. The photo does not only have less oranges, but also more sugar than the recipe. A bit of ginger would be a nice addition I believe.
Conor Bofin | Author | 9th April 2019
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Ginger would have added a lovely note of heat Stefan. I have to admit that I miscalculated the number of oranges that I was going to need. It’s hard to work out how juicy they are going to be before opening. I needed the extra sugar for that pour!
kathryninthekitchen | 1st April 2019
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I love this simply lovely recipe… what’s not to like? I have recently come across equally simple recipes ( not for pork) which have delighted me.. so no misplaced ‘snobbery’ here! I can’t wait to try this one. Oh and the action shot ( I’ve not attempted one) … sweet!
Conor Bofin | Author | 9th April 2019
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The simple recipes are often the best. In this case, the addition of a bit of ginger would have been an improvement (as suggested by Stefan) and I now have an excuse to try it again.
Karen (Back Road Journal) | 3rd April 2019
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With very little to the delicious looking recipe, there could be a run on pork belly. 😀
Conor Bofin | Author | 9th April 2019
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My influence on world markets is not to be underestimated Karen. Do try it.
Baguio Restaurants | 23rd April 2019
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The pork looks tender and juicy. The photos looks delicious and tasty with that orange sauce. Now I know what to cook on our family gathering this coming Saturday.
Karenlee | 13th June 2021
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I have made this a few times now very easy and tasty .. I cook my pork belly in the air fryer perfect every time