Originally Posted by
rusty_nail
hey Rohin, thought i documented the process a lot better than just photos, maybe i did it in another thread.
so one thing i do when getting my coals ready is i use my gas stove to get the coals going, they get red hot and i don't have to wait for ages while they all get burning. 5 mins on the big burner and 5 mins sitting out on the concrete and they are all pretty much glowing!
From memory, I got my coals roaring, then chucked a decent stack on top, but none on the bottom. monitored it every beer (i think it took about 3 beers (prob about 10 mins a beer)for the crackle to start looking good, although i jumped the gun a little having never done pork belly before and moved on to the next phase. in hindsight i would give it another 10 mins). one other thing i did wrong was i mistook burned herbs on the skin for burned skin! just double/triple check the crackle is looking good.
once the crackle was looking good, i took most of the coals off the top and threw in a stack down the bottom. now, depends how long you want to take to cook yours. i only took about 2 hours total to cook my pork belly, i was rushing though, and it was the first time i had used the oven, i think lol. next time i would take a little longer and the pork would be more tender, although my first attempt definitely wasn't anything to be upset with.
i know your after measured quantities with the amount of coals you need to use. just go with your gut mate, keep an eye on it, and modify as needed. if it looks like its cooking too quick or add more if its too slow. the ovens are pure awesomeness, they are very forgiving and as long as your on it, you really cant mess up your food. any more questions ill keep an eye on here and try to get back to you!
