Ingredients

• 1.8kg/4lb pork belly
• 4 tbsp sea salt flakes
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 4 large pork ribs
• 2 onions
• roughly chopped
• 2 carrots
• roughly chopped
• 1 litre/1¾ pints chicken stock
• 8 black peppercorns
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 litre/1¾ pints milk
• ½ onion
• skin left on
• 5 cloves
• 2 eating apples
• preferably Cox's Orange Pippin
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 250g/9oz fresh breadcrumbs
• 75g/2¾oz butter
• 3 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 230C/210C fan/Gas 8.
• For the roast pork belly
• put the pork belly in a roasting tray
• skin-side up. Thoroughly pat it dry with kitchen paper
• then rub sea salt all over the skin. Set aside for 20 minutes.
• Roast the pork belly for 30 minutes
• then reduce the oven temperature to 160C/140C fan/Gas 3 and continue to cook for a further 1½ hours. When cooked
• set the pork aside to rest in a warm place.
• Meanwhile
• for the rib gravy
• heat the oil in large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the pork ribs and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side
• turning them regularly until they have caramelised all over. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Add the onions and carrots to the pan
• then pour over the stock. Bring to the boil
• scraping any burned bits up from the bottom of the pan using a wooden spoon.
• Return the browned pork ribs to the pan
• then add the peppercorns
• bay leaves and thyme. Reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering
• then continue to simmer gently for 1½ hours.
• Meanwhile
• for the apple bread sauce
• heat the milk in a large saucepan. Stud the onion with 3 of the cloves and add to the hot milk. Stud one of the apples with the remaining 2 cloves and add to the pan along with the cinnamon stick. As the milk starts to bubble
• turn off the heat
• cover the pan with a lid and leave to infuse for at least 30 minutes. Once infused
• discard the apple
• onion
• cloves and cinnamon stick.
• Add the breadcrumbs and butter to the infused milk
• stir well and heat gently. Just before serving
• grate in the remaining apple and stir in the ground cinnamon.
• When the cooking time for the pork ribs has elapsed
• remove the ribs and slide the meat from the bone. Chop the meat and return it to the gravy mixture.
• To serve
• carve the pork belly and arrange the slices onto a serving platter. Serve the rib gravy in a large jug alongside and the apple bread sauce in a large serving bowl. Allow everyone to help themselves.