Maple Sugar Pie Rub BBQ Pork Belly

For the pork belly

• 1.5-2kg free range pork belly, skin on
• 75g rock salt

For the sugar pie rub

• 50g maple sugar
• 35g fine sea salt
• 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 tbsp Spanish smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp onion granules
• 1 tbsp garlic powder

For the pork pouring glaze

• 150ml pure maple syrup (preferably amber syrup for its rich taste)
• 150ml sherry vinegar
• 1 tbsp sea salt flakes
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
• Remainder of the sugar pie rub

For the creamed corn

• 4 ears of corn
• 2 large red chillies, finely diced
• 1 small brown onion, diced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
• 150ml single cream
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes
• 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 1/2 tbsp creole seasoning
• Parsley, chopped
• Spring onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup (preferably amber syrup for its rich taste)

For the charred cabbage

• 2 Hispi cabbages, cut into quarters
• Olive oil, for brushing
• Splash of maple vinegar
• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the pork belly

1. Asides from super juicy, tasty pork, the thing we love about pork belly is the crackling. You’ll want to start to pork prep the night before. Take a sharp paring knife and make lots and lots of small stabs in to the pork skin, the more you make, the better the crackling. Take care not to go all the way through to the meat. Cover liberally with the rock salt, and leave uncovered in the fridge overnight in a shallow baking tin. This is will start to wick the moisture from the skin and give you shatteringly tasty crackling when you cook it. Using rock salt is key as it won’t absorb into the skin as much as smaller grained salts.
2. Remove the pork from the fridge the next day, using a paper towel, wipe all the excess rock salt off. Dry the pork belly all over with a paper towel. Place the pork, skin side down on some paper towels and Liberally sprinkle the Sugar Pie Rub all over the meaty side. You won’t need any on the skin. Set back in the fridge while you prepare your side dishes.
3. Set up your BBQ at 180C for indirect cooking. Place your pork belly skin side up on the grill, with a foil pan below the grates to catch any fat. Close the lid of your BBQ, this should take around 40-50 minutes to cook. The crackling will be a good indicator, if it’s looking crispy and delicious, its done. For extra reassurance, you can use an instant read thermometer to make sure the internal temp of the meat hits 75C or above.
4. When your pork has cooked, you’ll want to let it rest it for around 10-15 mins.

For the side dishes

1. Next, start on your Creamed Corn. Grill the corn on all sides so it gets a nice char. In a hot pan, add the butter and sauté the onion, garlic and chillies until softened.  Then run a knife down the cobs to hull the corn. Add this to the pan and stir frequently, add your seasoning. When all the vegetables have softened, add half to a food processor with the cream. Blitz until smooth (it won’t go completely smooth). Add it back into the pan with the remaining half of the mixture. Adjust the seasoning as you like it then finish with the coriander.
2. Grill your Hispi cabbages on the cut sides, until the cabbages have softened. You can keep these warm in the oven, or on the indirect side of the grill until you’re ready to eat them. To serve, season with sea salt flakes, cracked black pepper and a splash of Maple vinegar.
3. To serve, put the side dishes in serving bowls for guests to help themselves. Slice the pork into finger-thick slices on a serving platter and drizzle over the Pork Glaze.