Slightly spicy treacle marinated belly pork

Was having an experiment with what I found in the freezer and cupboard when having a spring clean

Came up with this when I found a big lump of belly pork in the freezer that was starting to “burn” so needed to be used up and an old tin of treacle I had forgotten about.

Also works well with skinless chicken breasts or thighs, pork steaks or proper pork ribs. The belly pork joint can be left whole as well.

• piece of belly pork from the end without bones, skin off (make scratchings from it), cut into thick slices, most of the fat cut off but leave some as fat adds flavour

• black treacle (molasses), 2 parts

• dark rum, to taste

• sesame oil, 1 part

• garlic, grated, to taste

• lime juice, to taste, about 1-2 tablespoons

• lemongrass, finely chopped - from a jar is OK as well

• ginger, grated, to taste

• 1-4 red chillies, to taste, or 1-2 scotch bonnet chillies cut down from top to bottom with seeds removed or if you like it hotter chop them up finely, seeds included

• 3-4 spring onions, finely chopped

• sea salt

• black pepper

• Jamaican jerk powder/paste or Chinese 5 spice powder - optional, to taste

1. Mix together all the ingredients adding some more rum or water if it is too thick

2. Add the pork slices and marinate for 2 hours to 2 days, turning and mixing every so often

3. Heat the oven/air frier (or whatever you will be using to “roast”) to 160-170℃

4. Heat the ovenproof pan so it is warm before adding the pork in a flat layer and pour half the marinade

5. Cook the pork turning and basting in the leftover marinade until the pork is cooked until almost falling apart and the surface is black and crunchy (Mrs Awkward likes her meat well done and these sort of coatings virtually charcoal) and the marinade has thickened up a bit.

6. Serve with your choice of vegetables, rice, mashed potatoes, noodles as examples. Whatever you want really.

7. Also good cold in salad sandwiches the following day for lunch.

Freezes well either before or after cooking where the flavour matures.