Cook
A little taste of Oktoberfest

Crispy pork belly is a stalwart on the menu at all of the Bavarian restaurants across New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. Roasted and served with traditional crackling skin, this dish is available on a number of special set-menus throughout the five weeks of Oktoberfest celebrations, which end on Sunday, 28 October.
We thought we might like to have a crack at making this in the Dine Darling Downs kitchen as well. Here is the exclusive recipe from the Bavarian if you are keen to try this at home.
Serves 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1.5 hrs
Ingredients:
- 800g pork belly, skin on (meat-to-fat ratio 50:50)
- 5 cloves
- 3 bay leaves
- 2tbsp honey
- 500ml lager (Paulaner Original Munich Lager)
- 2tbsp soy sauce
- 1tsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 1tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1tsp yellow mustard
- Salt and pepper (to season)
Method:
Pork Belly
- Wash the pork belly under cold, running water.
- Place in a pot with cold water and bring to the boil.
- In the meantime peel onion, cut in half and stud with the bay leaves and cloves.
- Once the water boils, skim off any foam and add prepared onion.
- Simmer pork belly for 40 minutes.
While the pork belly is simmering, mix 250ml lager, soy sauce, honey, thyme and rosemary in a small pot and bring to the boil. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 220°C.
Take pork belly off the water, leave it to cool a little, then slash skin in a criss-cross pattern.
Place pork belly on an oven tray, skin-side up, and brush with beer mixture.
Roast pork belly for approximately 30-40 minutes, constantly basting with juices in tray.
Remove from oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes.
Bier Jus
Pour remaining 250ml of lager into roasting pan and dissolve, or rub off, the crust that has formed on the bottom.
Strain liquid into a small pot, bring to boil and thicken lightly with mustard.
Season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
To Serve:
Cut pork belly into slices and serve with bier jus, braised red cabbage, sautéed or roasted potatoes, and an ice-cold glass of Paulaner Original Munich Lager!
Tip: Enjoy the chilled leftover pork belly, thinly sliced with rye bread, horseradish and a German mild mustard.
