Directions
- Season washed and dried pig cheeks liberally with salt and pepper and refrigerate to brine overnight.
- Preheat oven to 150C. Wash cheeks again the next day, dry and lay them skin-side-up on a bed of fresh herbs (sage, oregano, thyme, bay leaves) and 1 Tbsp crushed peppercorns in a Dutch oven. Cover cheeks completely with melted duck fat, put the lid on and bake for 3 hours until they are totally giving when pierced with a knife.
- Cool and transfer cheeks and fat to a container to refrigerate. They will keep in the fridge for 2-4 weeks.
- To serve, remove cheeks from fat, cut into serving sized slices, lay on similar sized slices of sourdough and bake in a hot oven until coloured and crispy. Serve with a zingy raw fennel, parsley, caper and orange salad, or with fresh pickles, chutney and salsa verde.
