Step 1 To make the marinade, in a bowl, add the juice and rind of the orange, salt, pepper, thyme leave, garlic, sage and ground fennel seeds. Mix it well. Step 2 Rub the marinade into the meat of the belly, ensuring you don’t marinate the skin with the mixture. Then place the belly, skin side up, in a roasting tray. You can add the remaining marinade into the bottom of the tray – again making sure you don’t poor on the skin. Keeping the skin dry throughout the process is key! Step 3 It’s all about that crackling! For best results, pat the skin dry and leave the pork skin side up in the fridge to dry out. If you don’t have time to leave it overnight, pat the skin dry as much as you can to remove any moisture. Step 4 On the day of roasting, preheat the oven to 220C Step 5 Add the fennel and carrot into your tray and place the belly on top, skin side up. The key to consistent crispy crackling is making sure the skin is as flat as possible! So if necessary, adjust the placement of veggies underneath the belly to make the top of the belly as flat as possible. You can always adjust this throughout the cook if needed. Step 6 Evenly salt the pork belly skin. Be generous here! I also like to add some ground fennel seeds for some extra crackling flavour. Step 7 Place the pork belly in the oven at 220C Step 8 After 20 mins, reduce the heat to 140C and let it bake for 2 hours. Note, it may need more if the belly is thicker. Step 9 If the crackling is as crisp as it needs to be, increase the temperature to 220C for a final crisping. You’ll need to keep an eye on it to get the cracking juuuust right. Step 10 When done, take the roast out and loosely cover it in foil for 15-20 mins before slicing up and enjoying
