Slow Cooked Belly Pork with Jalapeño Creamed Corn

Slow Cooked Belly Pork with Jalapeño Creamed Corn Recipe

This recipe has been on my radar for months now. It features two of my most favourite things, sweetcorn and belly pork, so it’s right up my street. If you’ve got some meals to put on the table over Easter, this Slow Cooked Belly Pork with Jalapeño Cream Corn is just perfect. It pretty much cooks itself and feeds quite a few hungry mouths *my family always have hungry mouths*. And thanks to me sharing this with you now, you’ve still got time to get all the ingredients ready for the long weekend.

Belly pork is ridiculously good value, I love it. This hoofing great big slab came from our local butchers and it was less than £12 and tasted amazing. It gets a good rub down with some smoked paprika, salt and ground coriander before a lengthy spell in a low oven while you crack on with the corn. That in itself is reasonably drama free. Some simmering, some minor blending then stir in some chopped jalapeños from a jar. This creamed corn is so addictive, not all of it made it onto our plates due to my incessant ‘checking for seasoning’. It’s creamy, lightly spiced, chunky and is the most delicious bedfellow with the melting pork. Once the pork has had 3 hours it gets a final flourish in a hot oven to crisp up the skin and to create slow cooked pork perfection. This recipe comes courtesy of the wonderful Olive Magazine, with huge thanks.

This Slow Cooked Belly Pork with Jalapeño Creamed Corn doesn’t scream Easter nosebag, but it would make a tempting dish for guests, family or if I’m honest, Clyde and I polished off most of this all by ourselves. But we are quite the hogs when it comes to pork and I am borderline creamed corn dependent.

What a stunning line up. Look away now any vegetarians in the group. My wonderful piece of pork from our local butchers was full of flavour and had kindly had the bones removed and the skin evenly scored. I used frozen sweetcorn for my creamed variety but if fresh is available the original recipe called for 4 cobs worth.

Start with your pork. But don’t forget to pre heat the oven first to 130 degrees fan assisted. Take a large roasting tin and place a rack in that pan. Take your pork and place it on the rack and rub with two tablespoons of oil. Make sure your pork skin is scored to ensure extra crispness later.

Mix your salt, pepper, chilli, smoked paprika and ground coriander. Rub the spice mix into the skin, making sure it’s well covered.

Pour a cup of water into the base of the pan then cover the whole tin in foil and place in your pre heated oven.

Leave your pork to slowly cook away for 3 hours. After this time your kitchen will be smelling amazing and the pork will be tender and melting. Turn your oven up to 200 degrees fan assisted.

Put this back into the hot oven, foil off, for around 20 to 30 minutes or until the skin is super crispy. While this does its thing, make a start on the corn.

Take a large saucepan and add your sweetcorn, chopped onion, butter and your crushed garlic clove. Cook this little lot for 10 minutes over a low heat.

After 10 minutes, pour in the cream along with 100ml of water. Bring this up to the simmer and cook for another 10 minutes with a lid on.

Once the time’s up, take your stick blender and give the corn a quick blitz. You don’t want to puree it, just process until some of the corn is creamed. If you don’t have a stick blender, put half of the corn into your blender and process then pour it back into the rest of the corn.

Stir in the chopped jalapeños for some fresh tasting spice then cook your creamed corn for another 5 minutes or until piping hot and thickened slightly. Finally stir in the good handful of chopped coriander.

Check for any additional salt and pepper needs and try not to eat half of it at this stage like I did.

Once the pork is crisp, remove from the oven and leave to rest for 20 minutes, covered in foil.

Mouthwatering. Serve your pork in thick slices, mainly because I am woeful at carving, on a bed of the lightly spiced creamed corn. This goes super well with some steamed pak choi and a final flourish of chopped coriander.

The pork is soft, tender with some wonderfully spiced crisp skin. The Jalapeño Creamed Corn is sweet, spicy and tastes so fresh. I could eat a bowl of creamed corn on its own, the Belly Pork is a total added bonus for all involved.

Lucy x

Slow Cooked Belly Pork with Jalapeño Creamed Corn Recipe

Serves 4 to 6

You will just need pots and pans for this

2 teaspoons sea salt 

1 teaspoon ground black pepper 

1 teaspoon chilli powder

1 teaspoon smoked paprika 

1 teaspoon ground coriander 

2 tablespoons vegetable oil 

1.5kg piece pork belly, skin well scored

350g sweetcorn, frozen or tinned or use 4 large corn cobs 

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

25g butter 

150ml double cream 

2 tablespoons jalepeños from a jar, drained and chopped

A small bunch coriander, chopped

Some steamed greens to serve and some extra fresh coriander to garnish 

Pre heat your oven to 130 degrees fan assisted. Take your belly pork and drizzle with the vegetable oil. Mix the salt, pepper, chilli powder, paprika and ground coriander. Sprinkle the spices over the belly pork and then thoroughly rub it into the skin of the pork.

Sit the pork on a rack in a deep roasting tin. Pour a cup of water into the bottom of the tray, cover the whole thing in foil then place into your pre heated oven for 3 hours.

After 3 hours, remove the foil, turn your oven up to 200 degrees fan assisted then return the pork to the oven and cook for a further 20 to 30 minutes or until the skin has fully crisped up. Remove from the oven, tent in foil and let rest for 20 minutes.

For the creamed corn, take a large saucepan and add the corn, fresh or tinned, onion, garlic and butter. Cook gently over a low heat for 10 minutes. Pour in the cream along with 100ml water and cook for 10 minutes with a lid on. Remove the lid and blend roughly with a stick blender, you don’t want all the corn blitzed, just some of it.

Stir in the chopped jalapeños and then return to the heat and cook, uncovered, for another 5 minutes or so until the corn is thick and creamy. Season well with salt and pepper then stir in the chopped coriander, reserving a handful for garnish.

Serve the pork carved into thick slices with a large spoonful of the creamed corn, some steamed greens and some extra coriander for garnish.