1Kg of belly of pork, in one piece,on the bone and with the skin on1 Tsp Sea salt2 large heads of garlicFor the marinade:Olive oil5 cloves of garlic3 Bay leaves1 Tsp of vinegar1 Tbsp of sweet smoked paprika6 Piri-piri (birds eyes) chillies, chopped 1 Tsp Sea Salt1/2 Tsp freshly ground black pepperA sprig of fresh rosemary for basting
Prepare your pork belly:
The day before remove the pork belly from its package and, with the help of a small sharp knife score the fat by cutting parallel lines, 1cm apart, being careful not to cut the meat.
Now dry your meat, especially the fat part, as much as you can with kitchen towels, soggy fat doesn't crisp very well. Rub some salt into the skin and pat it dry again. Place it on a tray and wrap it tightly with kitchen towels. Place it in the fridge overnight.
Make your Piri-piri sauce:
Place the garlic and salt in a pestle and mortar, not a food processor and bash it around until the garlic turns into a paste. Add your remaining marinade ingredients, apart from the rosemary, and continue pounding until all the ingredients are all combined.
Cook the pork:
On the day you are cooking the pork remove it from the fridge and leave it in a cold place to come up to room temperature. In the meanwhile pre heat your oven to 220C/gas 3.
Grab an oven dish large enough to fit your pork. Top your garlic bulbs and then slice them in half, skin and all. Place them on the base of your baking tray, they will keep your pork away from the tray at the same time as they flavour your meat.
Now rub your pork with the piri-piri sauce and rest it over the garlic in the tray. Cover the tray loosely with foil. Place it in the oven and cook for 15 minutes before lowering the heat to 160C/gas 3. Cook for another 2 to 2.30 hours or until the meat starts coming apart, basting every 30 minutes with the rosemary sprig.
After 1.30 hours in the oven, light your barbeque. We really recommend you use coals here as it gives that wonderful taste to the meat.
After 2 or 2.30 hours, the pork should be tender and flavoured with all the wonderful Mediterranean flavours. Lift it out of the roasting tray with tongs and drop it straight on to the barbeque skin side up. It will crackle and drip fat on to the coals so don’t worry if you see a few flames. After 10 to 15 minutes turn the pork over and move it around the grill now and then for 10 to 15 minutes to crisp up the skin and form a lovely crackling.
Remove it from the coals and leave it to rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with fresh green salad and crisps.