Tom Kerridge's signature pork tacos
As the evenings get warmer, Tom Kerridge is in the kitchen with the perfect alfresco dish.
He’ll be making his signature pork tacos, which are guaranteed to give your summer evenings a kick!
Roast pork belly taco
Makes 8 proper sized tacos
Ingredients
1kg pork belly, skin scored by your butcher (free-range or the best quality you can get)
For the brine
1 litre of cold water
100g table salt
For the smoked cods roe (taramasalata)
1 slice of white bread, crusts removed
100g smoked cod roe, diced
1 clove of garlic, peeled and grated
125ml olive oil
Lemon juice to taste
For the apple sauce
4 x Bramley apples, peeled, cored, and diced
25g diced butter
1 lemon, juiced
For the Celeriac Slaw (or remoulade)
½ celeriac, peeled and shredded on the mandolin with the teeth fitted
½ tsp salt
100g thick mayonnaise
2 tbsp coarse grain mustard
2 tbsp chopped chives
For the pickled red onions
200ml cider vinegar
50ml demerara sugar
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 x large red onion, peeled and sliced fine
8 x 6-inch taco or tortilla wraps
8 x kebab style green chilies drained
Method
1. To begin this recipe, pour the cold water and salt into a large container and whisk together to disperse the salt evenly.
2. Now place the scored pork belly into the brine, it should be fully submerged to ensure the meat takes on the seasoning. Pop on a lid and place the container into the fridge overnight.
3. In the meantime, we can make all the other sauces and garnishes. For the smoked cod roe or taramasalata, place the bread into a small bowl and cover with a little milk or water (100ml) and leave to soak for 20 minutes or so. This is only to make sure it softens and is easier to blend smoothly.
4. Next, add the bread, cod roe, and grated garlic to a jug blender, then begin to blitz to a paste. Slowly add in the olive oil as you would for making mayonnaise. Once all the oil has been added and is thick and glossy, add the lemon juice and a little seasoning. Then scrape the smoked cod's roe dressing into a piping bag or container and pop in the fridge until needed.
5. Next place a small saucepan on to the hob, over a low heat, then add the butter to melt until it starts to bubble, now add the diced apples and lemon juice, cover the pan with a lid and leave the apples to gently steam and soften for 10 minutes, making sure you have a little check the apples aren’t catching.
6. Once the apples are soft and cooked, transfer to a jug blender and puree to a smooth applesauce. Pass the apple sauce through a fine sieve and leave to cool. When the sauce is cool, store in the fridge until needed.
7. On the day that you wish to serve the tacos, drain the belly of pork from the brine and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Lay the pork belly into a tray lined with a cooling wire rack. This will enable the pork fat to render out and crackling to crisp up. Now place the tray with the pork belly into a preheated oven at 220c and roast for 30 minutes. Then, lower the temperature down to 160c and cook for 1 ½ hours.
8. While the pork is roasting, we can make the celeriac slaw. Simply place the shredded celeriac into a bowl and toss together with the salt. Leave the celeriac to cure and soften with the salt for 20 minutes. Rinse under cold running water for 5 minutes, then squeeze dry in a kitchen towel. Once the celeriac is dry, stir in the mayonnaise, mustard and chives, pop into a container and place in the fridge until needed.
9. For the quick pickled red onions, simply bring the vinegar, sugar and fennel seeds to the boil, then throw in the sliced red onion, remove from the heat and leave to cool.
10. All the garnishes are pretty much ready to rock, so you can relax until the pork is ready. Remove the pork belly from the oven and leave to rest for 30 minutes, lightly cover the belly loosely with tin foil.
11. Once the pork belly has rested, pull away the crackling and smash up into bite sized chunks ready to scatter over the finished taco.
12. Next, pre-heat a large non-stick pan on the hob over a medium heat, slice the belly into 8 thick slices and then pan fry for three minutes on both sides to crisp up.
13. While the belly is frying, lay the tacos out onto a large chopping board and spread a spoonful of the smoked cod’s roe over each taco, then add a good spoonful of the celeriac slaw. Drain off the pickle liquid from the onions and then scatter these over the slaw.
14. Finally, lift the crispy belly slices from the pan and place on top of each taco, add a good dollop of the apple sauce and sprinkle over the crackling and serve straight away.