Southern BBQ Pork Belly with Sweetcorn Salsa

Based on a recipe by Jamie Oliver - a classic American-style, smoky BBQ pork. The pork remains succulent due to the oven cooking yet the barbecuing adds great crunchy texture and the required smoky flavour. It can be a little dry so you do need the accompaniments. I like to serve this also with a fresh salad, some flatbreads and a sweetcorn salsa – see recipe below.

"A recipe that we're loving lately is a great one from Jamie Oliver and it involves the Barbie - really yummy & tasty and it's great with couscous, it's easy & very delicious! Bon Appétit!"– Nicola Hawdon.

Pictured: Southern BBQ Pork Belly

Handful of fresh bay leaves
2 tsp rock salt
1 tbsp smoked paprika
3 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2kg pork belly in one piece, skin removed (get your butcher to do this - you can cook separately & make crackling if you like) get a smaller piece if not serving so many
To serve –
Seeded and chopped red chillies
Fresh chopped coriander
Olive oil

Pre-heat oven 180°C.

Bash leaves and salt in a pestle and mortar until the leaves disintegrate and the salt turns green. Pick out any strands, then add the rest of the spices and pepper.

Rub the pork with the spice mix & a little oil. Put into a snug-fitting tray.
Cover the tray tightly with foil and put in the oven for 2 hours depending on the size of the meat.

Light the BBQ after the pork has had an hour in the oven.

After 2 hrs cooking in the oven your pork should be tender and flavoured with all the wonderful spices. Lift out of roasting tray and drop straight onto the BBQ. It will crackle as the fat drips onto the coals, so don't worry if you see a few flames. Turn the pork over and move it around the grill now and then for 10-15 minutes to crisp up the surface.

Serve in thick slices w fresh chilli, coriander and a few lugs of olive oil.

Pictured: Fresh chilli, coriander and olive oil - accompaniment to Southern BBQ Pork Belly

Serves 6 - 8

Sweetcorn Salsa

Grill at least 2 whole corn cobs under high heat, turning as it blackens slightly, strip kernels off and toss with any combination of diced tomato, avocado, cucumber, Spanish onion, capsicum, tossed with a few splashes of Tabasco, chopped coriander, lime juice and salt and pepper.

Pictured: Sweetcorn Salsa

TasteTip - There's an official heat scale for chillies known as the Scoville scale, developed by Wilbur Scoville in 1912. To give you an idea of the range of heat in various chillies, a sweet pepper scores 0 on the scale, Jalapeño and chipotle chillies score anything between 2,500 to 10,000 and habanero and Scotch Bonnet score 80,000 to 300,000 plus!