Pork belly has recently become very popular. Cooked slowly in a slow cooker on a bed of oranges and onions and served with a dried cranberry-studded gravy, this pot-style roast is easy to prepare and truly delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh white breadcrumbs
• ½ cup finely chopped pecans
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• 3-4 pieces crystallised ginger or papaya, diced, optional
• 75 grams butter, softened
• grated rind one orange
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice or mixed spice
• 1.5 kilogram piece belly of pork, well-scored
• 1 onion, sliced (can be unpeeled)
• 1 orange, sliced
• 4-6 whole cloves garlic, crushed only
• 1 cup chicken stock or water
• Gravy
• 2 teaspoon instant light-flavoured gravy powder
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Method

1. Turn the slow cooker on to low to pre-warm while gathering and preparing the ingredients.
2. Mix together the breadcrumbs, pecans, cranberries, ginger or papaya, butter, orange rind and allspice or mixed spice.
3. Place the pork skin-side down on a board and spread the filling lengthwise down the centre.
4. Roll the pork up from the shorter edge to enclose the filling. Secure with string or skewers.
5. Place the onion, orange and crushed garlic into the base of the pre-warmed slow cooker. Sit the pork on top, pour in the stock and cover with the lid.
6. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. To test when the pork is cooked, pierce the meat with a meat fork. If the juices run clear, the pork is cooked. Alternatively, cook to 70ºC on a meat thermometer.
7. Remove the pork from the slow cooker and place on a warm serving platter. Cover and keep warm.
8. Strain the remaining cooking juice from the slow cooker into a saucepan, being careful to avoid any fat from going into the saucepan. Mix the gravy powder and stock together and stir into the saucepan. Cook over a moderate heat until the gravy has thickened. Add the cranberries and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Serve the pork sliced with a good serving of the cranberry gravy and your favourite vegetables.

Cooks Tips

- Rest the pork for 15-20 minutes before carving to ensure the meat retains all its juices when carved, rather than having them spill onto the board. Also, it ensures the meat carves easily.

- You can use white wine in the gravy in place of the chicken stock.