Recipes

From The Whisky Kitchen by Sheila McConachie and Graham Harvey, they write "The complexity of Cragganmore 12 year old, specifically its honey, cooked fruits and dried apricot notes, lend a very pleasing note to the gravy for this delicious pork dish. This is a wonderful recipe: the crackling is perfect every time and because it is slow cooked the meat is so tender it just melts in the mouth. We have cut it into individual portions so you don’t have the problem of slicing the joint through the crackling. It does take a few hours to achieve this but it is well worth waiting for. Pork belly is an inexpensive cut of meat which when cooked in this way a lot of the fat is rendered out and you then have a very special dish which will look like something from a top restaurant (as indeed it is!)"

Serves 6

    2 large onions
    3 eating apples
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    1 pork belly, they are usually around 1.5kg. (ask your butcher to remove the rib bones and leave the skin on)
    500ml dry white wine
    50ml Cragganmore 12 year old Malt Whisky
    6 portions of colcannon or 6 potato rösti
    Seasonal vegetables of your choice

Method

Preheat oven to 220C/Gas 7.
You will need a sharp knife to score the skin unless you ask your butcher to do it for you.

Start by cutting the onions into thick slices and then core and cut the apples into thick rings. Place the onion slices in a deep sided roasting tin and apples on top and season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.

Lay the piece of pork, skin side up on your chopping board and cut into 6 pieces. You will notice that one end of the pork has less meat than the other, so cut the pieces from that end a little larger. Now using a sharp knife slice into the fat creating several lines on each piece of pork, be careful not to cut all the way through to the meat or the juices will come out and your meat will be dry. All you are doing is helping the fat to render out and beginning the process of creating wonderful crackling. Now massage quite a lot of salt into the skin.

Now lay each piece of pork on top of the onion and apple slices, this raises the pork out of the fat and roasting juices whilst it is cooking and it also protects the onion and apple from burning. Next place the roasting tin on the top shelf of your oven and allow to cook for about 45 minutes or until the crackling starts to crisp. You are not waiting for all of the crackling to bubble up and crisp, just until it starts, this may take an hour depending on your oven, but do not allow it to burn and do not allow the onion and apple to dry out and burn. If you are worried about it move to the next step.

Now turn the oven down to 160C/Gas 3, move the roasting tin to the bottom shelf and pour the white wine and whisky around the pork then cook for a further 2 hours approximately until all the crackling has “crackled”. Check on the progress of the pork after the first hour but do not be tempted to baste, or you will ruin the crackling. Sometimes you have to turn the tray or the individual pork pieces around to facilitate even cooking of the crackling.

Remove the roasting tray from the oven, take the pork out and if any have not “crackled” as much as you would like, pop the individual pieces on a small tray back in the oven for a few minutes. Remove the onion and apple and set aside, keeping warm. Keep the pork pieces warm while they rest for about 10 minutes.

Now empty the pan juices into a bowl and allow to cool, so that the fat will rise to the top, remove as much of it as you can and then put the liquid in a saucepan with the juices from the resting pork and from the apples and onion. This will be your gravy. All you have to do is simply reduce it by about half over a high heat, add seasoning and a little more whisky to taste and you are ready to serve. You can prepare to this stage a day or two in advance, cover well and refrigerate until you are ready to serve. The pork heats up beautifully in the oven at a high heat and if there are gaps in your crackling, you can add a little salt to the soft bits before it goes in the oven.

To Serve
Using a sharp knife separate the crackling from the pork and replace it back on top, this will make it easier for your guests to eat. Put a dollop of colcannon or a rösti on each plate, place one serving of onion and apple on each and then top each with the roast pork and crackling. Add your chosen fresh vegetables, pour sauce around and serve with pride....