Slow braised honey and cider caramelized pork belly

Ingredients

• 3.5 lb pork belly, with rind removed but the fat
• 2 large white onions, peeled, halved and sliced
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Braising Liquor:

• 1 qt Beer cider
• 5 oz Clear honey
• 1 Beef stock cube
• 1 Star anise
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 4 Sprigs fresh thyme
• Sea salt

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Preparation

• In a frying pan, dry-fry the onions until caramelized.
• Heat an ovenproof cast-iron pan. Season the pork belly and dry-fry on both sides, fat side first, until golden brown, ensuring that all sides of the meat are sealed. Remove from the pan and set aside to rest for 3-5 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°c. Lay the onions on the pork fat residue in the ovenproof pan and cover with the pork belly.
• In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the braising liquor. Pour over the pork belly and cook in the preheated oven for 2 hours.
  
• Occasionally remove from the oven and baste the pork with the reducing sauce, this will help to build up a lustrous glaze when finished.
• Remove from the oven, lift the meat out of the pan to rest for 10 minutes and set aside. Remove the onions with a slotted spoon.
• Carefully reduce the remaining liquor to the consistency of a sauce. Serve with olive oil mashed potatoes.

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