Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 2–3 kg/41/2–6 lb 9 3/4 oz pork belly, rib bone end
• 2 L/31/2 pints Coca Cola
• 2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick

Marinade

• 500 g/1 lb 2 oz sugar
• 500 ml/18 fl oz malt vinegar
• 4 dried red chillies
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 200 ml/7 fl oz tomato sauce
• 200 ml/7 fl oz HP sauce
• 100 g/31/2 oz creamed horseradish
• 100 ml/31/2 fl oz dark rum
• 1/2 bunch of coriander, leaves picked
• 2–3 green chillies, seeded and sliced

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

Place the pork belly in a large, deep, flameproof roasting dish over medium heat and slowly pour in enough Coca Cola to cover. Bring to the boil. Add the star anise and cinnamon stick and transfer to the oven for 21/2 hours or until very tender. Remove pork from the liquid and cool slightly. Discard liquid.

To make the marinade, combine the sugar and enough water to make a thick paste in a saucepan and cook over a medium heat until it becomes a golden colour. Remove from the heat and carefully add the malt vinegar, chillies and cinnamon sticks. Cook until the mixture has reduced to the consistency it was before the vinegar was added. Add the tomato sauce and HP sauce and reduce to the original consistency again. Stir in the horseradish and rum. Remove from the heat immediately and allow to cool.

Place the pork belly in a large ceramic dish, pour over the marinade. Cover pork with cling wrap, and set aside in the refrigerator for 2–3 hours.

Preheat a covered barbecue* (preferably a coal burner) to medium. Cook the pork belly with the cover down for 10–15 minutes, basting during cooking with the marinade it was resting in.

To serve, slice the pork belly and arrange on a serving platter, sprinkle over the coriander and chillies and brush with any remaining sauce.