Barbecued pork belly

This recipe was helped along by my eldest son who collected the herbs for it from the garden around our villa. It takes a long time to cook so if you don't have a gas barbecue that you can turn right down, it may be best to start it on the ban then finish in an oven set to 80c.

The marinade can be made and applied up to day ahead, but a few hours will do it.

Ingredients

1/2 pork belly

1 Orange

1 clove garlic

20g mint

20g rosemary

20g thyme

1 teaspoon Juniper berries

Salt

Pepper

Method

1 Wash the pork belly and pat dry with kitchen paper

2 Score on both sides with a sharp knife then place in a dish or on a baking tray

3 Grate the Orange peel (the very outside only, the pith will make the marinade bitter) and then juice the Orange. Put zest and juice on to the pork belly.

4 Chop the garlic and herbs and place on the belly

5 Crush the juniper berries with a heavy pan, back of a knife or rolling pin and add to the dish

6 With rubber gloves on (especially if you have any small cuts on your hands — cuts plus orange juice equals ouch!) or very clean hands, season the pork belly generously with salt and pepper and rub all the ingredients over and into the flesh.

7 Wrap with cling film and place into the fridge for 2-24 hours, the longer the better.

8 To cook the belly, rub the marinade ingredients off and place over a low barbecue. Cook for 3-4 hours, until the meat falls apart easily when pulled.

9 Shred the meat and roll up in whole ice berg lettuce leaves with an enormous dollop of coleslaw. Happiness will follow.