This will serve 5-6 people – it takes a bit of work but is well worth it.
1.2kg back bacon
4 large carrots, roughly sliced
2 onions, quartered
3 sticks celery, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
a few sprigs of fresh parsley
4 black peppercorns
4 tbsp runny honey
1 tbsp grainy mustard
finely grated rind of half an orange
1-2 tbsps freshly squeezed orange juice
20 cloves
1. If your bacon is salty, soak it in cold water overnight. Discard the water the next day.
2. Put the bacon in a large saucepan with the vegetables, bay leaf, parsley and peppercorns. Cover with cold water and slowly bring to the boil. Skim off any scum, and simmer gently for 40 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and leave the bacon to cool in the water for about 2 hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 200ºC / gas 6.
5. Carefully trim the rind off the fat. Score the fat into large diamonds with a sharp knife, and stud the diamonds with the cloves.
6. In a small bowl mix together the honey, mustard, orange rind and enough juice to provide a spreadable mixture. Spread the bacon with the glaze.
7. Bake for 30 minutes.
I have seen a similar recipe that adds a glass of white wine to the bacon when boiling it – haven’t tried this yet but let me know how you get on if you do.
