Hello there from New Zealand! I am going to make them Nigella's Slow Roasted Pork Belly, which looks amazing! Could you please tell me if the oven should be set to "fan-forced" or just "bake"? Fan-forced/fan-baked can end up cooking things a lot faster than just "bake" so I want to make sure I get the right setting. No one likes dry pork! Thanks a million! Kim
Our answer
One of the advanatages of Nigella's Slow Rosted Pork Belly (from Kitchen) is that it is quite difficult to dry the meat out. Pork belly contains a fair amount of fat in between the layers of flesh. As the slowly pork cooks the fat renders out, leaving succulent, flavourful meat. The final blast of heat just ensures that the crackling is suitably crisp.
This recipe, as all of Nigella's recipes, gives oven temperatures for a regular oven and not fan forced/fan assisted/convection or fan ovens. The fan ovens will tend to cook more quickly as the heat is circulated actively around the oven. As a rule of tumb you usually need to turn these ovens down by 20c/50F or allow for a shorter cooking time. Some very modern ovens now have control pads that have functions such as "roast" and "bake" that will adjust the temperature automatically for you. However you must check your oven handbook as this will contain specific advice for your own oven.
Low and slow is always the go for a tender pork roast. Depending on the size of the roast and the type of slow cooker, a pork roast is best cooked on LOW for 6-8 hours. If you prefer an oven method, a typical roast will take 3-4 hours in a low (160°C) oven.
I make sure the pork skin is scored in long strips all over and pat it dry with kitchen paper, before adding crushed fennel seeds to the usual dusting of salt and pepper. I start cooking the joint at 220°C for 15-20 minutes before lowering the oven temperature to 180°C for the remaining cooking time.
The secret to cooking pork belly is the combination of a gentle heat to tenderise the meat and short, high temperature blasts to crisp up the skin on the outside. Typically, recipes call for around 2 hrs at 180C/160C fan/gas 4, then a further 30 mins or so at 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
At around 2 hours, your pork chops will be cooked through (145°F) and have a texture similar to chicken breast — tender, but firm. Between 3 to 6 hours, the chops will have a texture closer to pulled pork; it will be easy to cut with a fork and will pull easily from the bone.
Pre-heat oven to 325F (163C). Bake pork roast in the oven UNCOVERED for approximately 25-30 MINUTES *PER POUND* (55-66 MINUTES PER KILOGRAM) Or until internal temperature reaches 155F (68C), rested to a final 160F (71C).
As a general guideline, a 2-3 pound pork shoulder typically takes around 6-7 hours to cook in oven at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. The rule of thumb is to allocate approximately 1 hour per pound of meat, but the exact cooking time may vary depending on the size of the pork shoulder.
The secret of roasting red beef and veal is very simple
This in combination with the fact that the longer it roasts the more tender it will become. So you should roast at as low a temperature as you have the time for, and make sure that the internal temperature of the meat never gets above 60°C (140°F).
Cook until the pork is no longer pink in the center, 90 minutes to 2 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Remove roast to a platter and keep warm.
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