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Spice up your next holiday meal with our braised pork belly with caramelized apples recipe. Pair it with our En Primeur Winery Series Riesling Gewürztraminer; the spicy, caramelized flavours of the wine will complement the meal marvelously!

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 7-8 hours or 4 hours
Ready in: 12 hours

INGREDIENTS
Ingredients for Pork:

• 2kg Pork belly
• 30ml (2 tablespoons) of Canola oil
• 4 Garlic Cloves whole
• 2 medium Cipollini onions cut in half
• 3 Star of anise
• 5 Cloves
• 2 Cinnamon sticks
• 75ml of Cru Specialty Riesling Style Dessert Wine (or Apple cider)
• 500ml / 2 cups Chicken broth
• 100 ml Honey
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Ingredients for caramelized apple:

• 3 Cortland Apples, peeled, cored and cut into wedges each
• 15ml honey
• 30 ml of Canola oil

DIRECTIONS
Directions for pork:

1. Pre-heat oven to 275°F (135°C)
2. Season both sides of the pork belly with salt and pepper
3. Sear each side of the pork belly in a medium to large ovenproof pan with canola oil. Reserve.
4. Using the same pan, lightly brown Cipollini onions and the garlic cloves
5. Deglaze with Cru Specialty Riesling Style Dessert Wine
6. Add the pork belly to the pan
7. Wet pork belly with chicken broth and add the cinnamon stick, star anis, cloves and the honey
8. Cook in oven at 275°F (135°C) for 7-8h or at 350°F (180°C) for 4h
9. Remove Cipollini onions and cloves from pan. Reserve for serving time.
10. Let the pork rest for at least 2h
11. Transfer sauce into a pot
12. Reduce sauce over medium high heat. Adjust seasoning.
13. Pre-heat oven to 450°F (230°C)
14. Lacquer the pork with the sauce and re-heat in the oven at 450°F (230°C) until caramelization takes place.

Directions for the caramelized apples:

1. Meanwhile, in a non-stick skillet brown the apples in the remaining 30 ml (2 tbsp) of Canola Oil and honey
2. Reserve

Serve the pork belly with the apple quarters and some onions and garlic clove with the sauce.

Bon appétit!

Note: This recipe can be made the day before. If you want to do so, stop at Step 11. Proceed with Step 12 to 14 the day you are serving the meal.

Looking for other wine pairings? We’ve got a few more for you to consider:

White Wine Pairing: If you’re looking for another white wine recommendation, try our palate-refreshing En Primeur Winery Series Italy Pinot Grigio.

Red Wine Pairing: If you are looking for a red pairing, our En Primeur Winery Series Australia Pinot Noir would be a warm complement to the spices in the meal.

Photo Credit: Food Network