Name: Barbecue pork belly with asparagus slaw and blue cheese dressing
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 2 h
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 2 tbsp barbecue sauce; 1 tbsp cider vinegar or white wine vinegar; 50g/1¾oz paprika; 60g/2¼oz sea salt; 2 tbsp chilli powder or chilli flakes; 2 garlic clove, grated, or 2 tbsp garlic powder; 2 tbsp ground cumin; 2 tbsp ground black pepper; good pinch cayenne pepper; 1.5kg/3lb 5oz pork belly, bone in and skin removed; 1 tbsp Dijon mustard; 3 garlic cloves; drizzle olive oil; 100ml/3½fl oz cider vinegar or white wine vinegar; 100g/3½oz caster sugar; 1 large red onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced; 4–6 asparagus spears, trimmed and peeled into thin strips; 2 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips; ⅓ Chinese cabbage, thinly shredded; 1 red onion, thinly sliced; 2 tbsp rice vinegar; 1 tsp black onion seeds; 1 tbsp roughly chopped fresh herbs, such as chives, parsley and coriander; 1 lime, juice only; salt and freshly ground black pepper; 50g/1¾oz blue cheese, broken into small pieces; 1 tsp sea salt; 1 tsp mustard powder; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 2 tbsp rapeseed oil

Prepare: 1-2 hours
Cook: over 2 hours
Serve: Serves 4
Dietary: Nut-free

This oven-cooked pulled pork recipe gives you the great taste of barbecue without all the smoke and mess.

By Richard Bainbridge

From Saturday Kitchen Best Bites

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Ingredients

For the glaze

2 tbsp barbecue sauce
1 tbsp cider vinegar or white wine vinegar

For the spice rub

50g/1¾oz paprika
60g/2¼oz sea salt
2 tbsp chilli powder or chilli flakes
2 garlic clove, grated, or 2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp ground black pepper
good pinch cayenne pepper

For the pork belly

1.5kg/3lb 5oz pork belly, bone in and skin removed
1 tbsp Dijon mustard

For the roasted garlic cloves

3 garlic cloves
drizzle olive oil

For the pickled red onions

100ml/3½fl oz cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
100g/3½oz caster sugar
1 large red onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced

For the asparagus slaw

4–6 asparagus spears, trimmed and peeled into thin strips
2 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips
⅓ Chinese cabbage, thinly shredded
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp black onion seeds
1 tbsp roughly chopped fresh herbs, such as chives, parsley and coriander
1 lime, juice only
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the blue cheese dressing

50g/1¾oz blue cheese, broken into small pieces
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
150g/5½oz soured cream
2 tbsp mayonnaise
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

To serve

2 Little Gem lettuce, washed and halved
barbecue sauce

Method

To make the glaze, whisk together the barbecue sauce and vinegar in a small bowl and set aside.
To make the spice rub, mix all the ingredients together well and store in an airtight container until needed.
To make the pork, take the pork out of the fridge for a good hour or so to allow to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 140C/120C Fan/Gas 1. Rub the mustard all over the pork – make sure the pork is completely covered and the mustard is well rubbed in. Liberally dust the pork all over with the spice rub and gently rub in.
To make the roasted garlic, drizzle the garlic cloves with olive oil and wrap in kitchen foil. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes until the garlic is completely soft. Remove and set aside for use in the blue cheese dressing later.
Lay a large piece of kitchen foil on a work surface. Spoon half of the glaze onto the foil and lay the pork on top, fat side up. Spoon over the rest of the glaze and wrap the foil around the pork, making sure the pork is completely sealed in. Place in a deep roasting tin and add a cup of water (or beer if you have it) to the tin. Roast in the oven for 3½–4½ hours or until the pork parcel is soft to touch.
Rip open the top of the pork parcel, being careful of the steam, and turn the oven up to 240C/220C Fan/Gas 9. Sprinkle another layer of the spice rub on the pork and place back in the oven for 20–30 minutes or until it has started to caramelise (check it after 10 minutes). Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly for about 10–20 minutes with a tray on top or a cover to stop the pork drying out.
To make the pickled red onions, warm the vinegar and sugar together until the sugar has dissolved, then remove from the heat and add the red onion and set aside until ready to serve.
To make the asparagus slaw, place all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and leave to marinate for 10–15 minutes before serving.
To make the blue cheese dressing, place all of the ingredients in a bowl along with the roasting garlic cloves and mix together. Transfer to a food processor and blend until it is a smooth dressing. Set aside until ready to serve.
To serve, remove any bones from the pork and slice. Place onto a serving plate along with a mound of the pickled onions and asparagus slaw. Drizzle the dressing over the Baby Gem lettuce and serve.