Can't beat a Sunday Roast dinner. This Roasted Pork Belly in Cider will make the families day! Very pleasing to the eye and surprisingly easy to make!
Large Pork Belly Joint stuffed and rolled with fennel, thyme, lemon zest, garlic and black pepper.
Cooked for just over 2 hours with cider and apple added for extra sweetness. Bonus is you can make a delicious gravy with the leftover apple, cider and pork juices!
Pork belly is one of the cheapest cuts of pork and many are not keen on it because of the fat content.
But when cooked correctly the fat is tender and soft to eat and I personally think it is the best part!
How to make Roasted Pork Belly?
Click to jump straight to the recipe or watch the slideshow below.
Jump to RecipeWe have also given tips on the blog page should you want to have a read through?
How to prepare pork belly for roasting?
There are three layers to Pork belly: a thin layer of skin, the thick silky fat, and finally juicy pink meat.
You can cook with the skin on if you wanted thick crackling on top? However, for this recipe, we wanted a sticky cider and apple glaze effect so we removed the skin.
How to remove skin from pork belly joint?
When removing the skin make sure to leave as much of the fat layer behind as possible! This fat layer will later be coated in scrumptious cider and apple!
How to flavour pork belly?
Once the skin is removed turn it over to the meat side. Spread a layer of Garlic Puree (or crushed garlic) followed by black pepper.
Next, add fennel seeds thyme leaves and lemon zest.
What to tie pork belly up with and how?
Roll up lengthways and use cooking string or 100% cotton twine to tie the pork roll together (I have heard that you can use dental floss if you have no string?!).
We used 6 strands of 100% cotton to tie it up neatly.
Place rolled-up pork belly joint into an oven dish with olive oil, rub the oil all over the fat layer. Add a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper
How to roast a rolled pork belly joint with cider?
Cook at 190°C/ 375F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, turn the temperature down to 160°C/325F.
Add chunks of cooking apple around the pork, then pour a bottle of your favourite cider all over the pork belly joint. We used Bulmers cider.
Add a couple of cinnamon sticks and pop back into the oven for 1 hr 45 minutes. Check at the last 20 minutes and cover with foil if browning too much?
When finished cooking re-baste the juices and apple chunks over the top of the rolled pork.
Remove from dish and wrap it in foil to rest whilst you make the gravy.
How to make Apple Cider Gravy?
As mentioned earlier, you get a bonus gravy when cooking this!
Mash down the apple chunks and heat in a pan, add 2 tbsp of flour, gradually whilst stirring and finally add some chicken stock until at the desired gravy consistency!
What to serve with Roasted Pork Belly?
We served our Roasted Pork Belly in Cider cut in slices, with our Roast Potatoes, glazed vegetables, green beans, yorkshire puddings and stuffing.
The apple cider gravy is amazing, no need for apple sauce with this gravy the sweetness is already there! Unless you like want extra sweetness!?
Roasted Pork Belly in Cider
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.1 grams (2lb 7oz) Pork Belly deboned
- 1 tbsp Fennel Seeds
- 1 Lemon Zest only
- 4 Springs Thyme Leaves only
- 1 tbsp Gia Garlic Puree 6 Cloves of Garlic crushed
- 500 ml (2 cups) Apple cider We used a bottle of Bulmers
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 Bramley Apple Chopped into chunks
- 1-2 Cinnamon sticks or 1 tsp of cinnamon
Gravy (optional)
- 2 tbsp flour
- 500 ml (2 cups) Chicken stock
Instructions
- Remove the thin layer of skin off the pork belly joint using a sharp knife. Leaving behind as much of the fat layer as you can.
- Once the skin is removed turn over so the meat side is facing up.Spread garlic puree over pork belly meat, followed by black pepper.Next, sprinkle fennel seeds, thyme leaves and lemon zest.
- Roll pork belly joint up lengthways, use 6 strands of cooking string to tie it up in 2-3 inch intervals
- Place pork in an oven dish, add olive oil and rub all over the pork. Season with salt & pepper.Cook uncovered at 190°C/375F for 30 minutes
- Remove from oven, reduce the oven temperature to 160°C/325FAdd chunks of apple around pork, then pour cider all over the pork belly joint. Add a couple of cinnamon sticks in and return to the oven uncovered for 1hr 25min
- Check the pork at 1hr, if it is browning to much add foil over it for the final 25 minutes.
- When finished remove from oven, use a ladle to pour the juices over the top of the cooked pork.Remove the Pork Belly Roll from the cooking juices and cover in foil, leave to rest for 10 minutes whilst you prepare the gravy.
Apple Cider Gravy- Use the cider, apple and pork cooking juices to create your gravy. We used all the juices for a rich sweet gravy, use ½ if you don't want it so sweet?
- Mash the apple into the juices, pour into a pan. Mix flour with warm water to create a paste (to prevent lumps) then add to the sauce.
- Now add Chicken stock, start with 350ml (1 ½ cups) and stir whilst bringing to boil. Check consistency and add more stock until at your desired gravy texture.
- You are ready to carve the pork and serve up with your usual roast dinner sides, Roast Potatoes, Vegetables, Yorkshire puddings, stuffing and of course, your Apple Cider Gravy.
Video
Nutrition
The soft tender pork belly slices are amazing and the sticky cider glazed topping is delicious!
Enjoy and let us know in the comments how much you loved it!
Looking for more roast dinner recipes? Check out our Roast Lamb Shoulder, slow-roasted until the lamb falls off the bone!
This is literally going to be my lunch experiment today! In love with your blog & the ideas!
Thank you Aleks, let us know how you get on?
OMG! I need to try this tempting recipe for our wedding anniversary. I bet my husband will love this so much.
It is a big hit in our house, enjoy your Wedding Anniversary!
Oh my gosh! I love roasted pork belly and your version looks really delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Our pleasure 🙂
omg omg omg omg omg yum. this sounds so so so so delicious!!!!!
Oh yes, it was!
I never thought about roasting pork in cider! What a fasicinating recipe. We don't have pork bellies here in Japan, so I have to try when I visit my parents in the States,
I have yet to visit Japan, I got the idea of using pork belly from my time in Vietnam, they use in a lot of their dishes, but not roasted like this!
I really wish my daughter loved pork. I would definitely cook it more often. I will have to try this though. It looks absolutely amazing.
My daughter is a little fussy too, but she does eat pork luckily! Maybe you can try when you have friends and family over one day?
Good site you've got here.. It's hard to find excellent writing like
yours nowadays. I honestly appreciate people like you! Take care!!
Thank you!
I have never done this with pork belly before but I have done it with a regular pork roast. I will need to try this out with pork belly--I just need to get brave enough to try to cook with something new!
Go on Marie, you won't be disappointed and you will probably save some money compared to some other pork joints!
OMG this sounds amazing!!!! I've never had it but would love to try this recipe 🙂
Please do give it a go, its lovely!
I really enjoyed your recipe. The looks so juicy and well-prepared. I will definitely try to make it for special meal at home.
Hope you and the family enjoy it!
We always have toast on Sundays but never tried pork belly before. I have no issue with fat so I'll give it a go for sure. It looks amazing!
Do enjoy! We love it, my Father in Law is not a fan of the fat, but he still eats the less fatty part and leaves the rest of us fighting over his leftover fatty bits lol!
The cider will give this roast amazing flavor. I will have to try this recipe
Let us know how you get on Tara 🙂
OMG this looks so delicious! Cooking the pork in cider is such a great idea, it must add an incredible flavor!
Oh, it certainly does, and keeps it nice and moist at the same time!
This sounds amazing. I can't begin to imagine the flavours going on here!
Thanks Nyxie, so full of flavour!
This sounds like the ultimate cold weather comfort food!! 🙂
Most definitely!! Time for some nicer weather, I can't keep making these comfort foods lol!
Oh yum, I am excited to try this! I just love pork belly. It's been ages since I've had it.
Thanks Amber you must try it, it is delicious!
Roasted pork belly is big in the Philippines, but I have yet to try making this. Will try this recipe soon.
Would love to visit the Philippines, it is high on our next list!!
As the admin of this website is working, no doubt very quickly it will be well-known, due to its quality contents.
Thank you for your compliments! Nice to know our hard work is being recognised!
Wellington am a vegetarian.but looks good 😇
We have many vegetarian recipes too 🙂
Oh wow this roasted pork belly in apples and cider looks incredible! Appreciate the lovely food photography and detailed instructions!
Thanks Leanne, I'm glad it is appreciated! x
Great content! Super high-quality! Keep it up! 🙂
Thanks