Tamal Ray’s recipe for pork belly sandwiches with apple and fennel slaw

Years in the past, whereas pottering round a south London market with buddies, I had among the finest sandwiches of my life: a succulent filling of twice-cooked pork, first barbecued, then fried with spices. It was so good that, after seeing my buddies off on the station, I circled again to get one other. At the moment’s slow-cooker recipe is an homage to that hallowed sandwich, which I nonetheless take into consideration usually.

Pork stomach sandwiches with apple and fennel slaw

Prep 10 min
Prepare dinner 8 hr+ (sluggish cooker), or roast 1 hr 40 min
Serves 4

1kg boneless pork stomach slices
½ tsp desk salt
600ml apple juice (not from focus)
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp fennel seeds, floor
2 tbsp rosemary leaves, finely chopped
8 chunky slices bread
Mustard, to serve (elective)

For the slaw
2 apples
2 fennel bulbs
Salt and black pepper
Juice of 1 lemon

Within the morning, reduce the pork stomach into chunky squares, then put them in a sluggish cooker with 300ml water, the salt, and the apple and lemon juice, and depart on low for the day. To prepare dinner the pork and not using a sluggish cooker, put it in a roasting dish with the salt, apple juice and lemon juice (ie, no water), then cowl with foil and roast for an hour and a half in a 220C (200C fan)/425F/fuel 7 oven.

Make the slaw simply earlier than serving. Core the apples and take away the powerful stalks and outer layers from the fennel bulbs. Thinly slice the apples and fennel, on a mandoline, ideally, or on a rough grater, then season with salt, pepper and the lemon juice.

To complete the pork, switch the meat and all its juices to a big pan on a medium-low warmth. Break up the meat with a fork, a lot as you'll for pulled pork, then add the bottom fennel seeds and rosemary, and prepare dinner, stirring, for 5 to 6 minutes, till the juices scale back proper down and switch jammy. (In the event you’ve roasted the meat within the oven, it might take a bit longer to scale back the liquid sufficiently.)

To assemble, evenly toast the bread, then spoon a beneficiant serving to of the pork and slaw on prime of 4 slices. Drizzle over your favorite mustard, if utilizing, prime with the remaining 4 slices of toast and serve.