I’m back with with another cracking recipe to finish the week off in style. Can I introduce my Herb, Honey Mustard Murray Valley Pork Belly With Jalapeno Fennel & Apple Slaw. This recipe is a little bit lighter and a little bit fresher but equally as delicious as Monday’s recipe - Murray Valley Roast Pork With Quinoa & Fig Stuffing. (Make sure you go and check that out too) What a way to finish the week with this stunning recipe. I mean who can go past pork belly. Not me.

{ I am working with Murray Valley Pork for this post, but please note that all opinions are my own on the product. } A special thanks to North Point Meats Toowoomba for supplying the pork. If you would love to learn more about Murray Valley pork check out my post on Monday.

The key to enjoying a nice piece of pork belly is the crispy skin. The combination of the succulent belly meat finished with the crunch and saltiness of the crackling really makes for a delightful mouthful. Add a little Herb, Honey Mustard marinade to belly meat, some fresh crunch and bite from the Jalapeno, Fennel & Apple slaw and you have a meal made in heaven.

My intention for this recipe was for a lighter alternative for Christmas dinner than a heavy roast meal such as Monday’s recipe. If you don’t feel like a roast with all the trimmings but still want something special than this Herb, Honey Mustard Murray Valley Pork Belly With Jalapeno Fennel & Apple Slaw really is the perfect alternative. It not only looks really spectacular served on a platter but your guests will be coming back for seconds.

Hubby and I were really pleasantly surprised at how much we loved this cut of pork. We hadn’t been a bit fan of pork belly in the past until we tried Murray Valley Pork. Murray Valley Pork Belly had just the right combination of fat and belly meat to create a succulently cooked belly. The small layer of fat between the meat literally melted in your mouth along with the meat in every mouthful. Even the next day it tasted equally as delicious if not better. When you have such an amazing piece of meat such as Murray Valley Pork Belly then you want to cook it just right. Let’s talk how.

The key to achieving an amazing crackling from a fantastic piece of meat from Murray Valley Pork is the preparation. Preparation is the key, my friend. As I mentioned in Monday’s post, you need to make sure you score or cut the skin of the pork making sure you cut only into the layer of fat. Scoring the meat helps the salt get into all the crevices and draw the moisture out and create the most fantastic crackling. I recommend salting the skin for at least an hour or longer if you have time and then removing the salt and patting the skin dry until there is no more moisture left. Oiling the skin and placing into a roaring hot oven helps the skin to roast quickly and sizzle and crisp up nicely. I mean look at the picture below. Drool-worthy.

I hope you bookmark or download and print this recipe as part of your Christmas menu this year! If you are looking for a Murray Valley Pork stockist check out their website to search for your local stockist.