Subscriber OnlyRecipes

Pork belly tacos with pineapple salsa

Serves: 6
Course: Dinner
Cooking Time: 2 hrs 45 mins
Prep Time: 30 mins
Ingredients
  • 3 onions, halved with skin on
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 5 red chillies
  • 2 star anise
  • 3tbs cumin seeds
  • 3tbs coriander seeds
  • 1 thumb sized piece ginger, grated
  • 1tbs sea salt
  • 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1.5kg pork belly, ribs and skin removed
  • ½ pineapple, cored, peeled and diced
  • ½ red onion, finely diced
  • 1 small red chilli, finely diced
  • 1 lime, zest and juice
  • 1tsp coriander seeds
  • 12 soft corn tacos
  • Fresh coriander leaves to garnish
  • Limes to garnish
  1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Start by making the marinade. Place the onions, garlic, chilli, star anise, cumin seeds and coriander seeds on an ovenproof tray and roast for 30 minutes until everything is softened and the skins are nicely blackened.
  2. Reduce the temperature to 150 degrees. Place the roasted ingredients in a blender and add the ginger, sea salt and vinegar. Blend to a rough paste, adding some water if need to loosen the paste. Remove the skin from the pork belly, or ask your butcher to do this. Place the pork belly on an ovenproof tray. Chill the paste slightly before smearing it over the pork belly and wrapping it all in tinfoil, leaving no gaps.
  3. Bake for 2½ hours until the meat is soft, then remove the tinfoil, increase the temperature to 220 degrees and bake for a further 10 minutes until the paste is charred across the top of the pork belly. Leave it to rest for 15 minutes.
  4. To make the pineapple salsa, add the pineapple, red onion, red chilli, lime zest and juice and coriander seeds to a bowl and mix with a spoon. Just before serving, add some coriander leaves and stir through.
  5. After the pork belly has rested, cut it into small chunks and spoon it into warmed soft tacos. Spoon the pineapple salsa over the pork and garnish with more coriander leaves and lime wedges.
Mark Moriarty

Mark Moriarty

Mark Moriarty is an award winning chef, TV host, author and Irish Times columnist.