Suckling pig belly with apricot stuffing

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 4 pieces of suckling pig belly with bone and rind, approx. 400g each
• 1 onion(s)
• 1 stalk(s) leek
• 1 carrot(s)
• 1 cm ginger
• 1 clove(s) garlic
• 250 ml malt beer
• 500 ml Bock beer
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• salt and pepper
• Mustard powder
• chili powder
• Balsamic vinegar
• 75 g apricot(s), dried
• 4 cl sherry
• 2 slices of toast, untoasted without crust
• 1 small egg(s)
• 1 clove(s) garlic
• 1 tbsp breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp cream cheese
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

Prepare the filling: Finely dice the apricots and soak them in sherry. Dice the bread, press the garlic, and mix well with all the other filling ingredients. Let stand for a while so the egg and bread can combine. Season well with salt and pepper. Remove the suckling pig bellies (if necessary, have the butcher do this for you); don’t discard the bones! Place the filling on the lower third of the bellies and form rolls, tying them with kitchen string. Roughly slice the onions. Roughly chop the remaining vegetables (leek and carrot), quarter the ginger and garlic. Roast the bones in a casserole dish until browned, then briefly fry the onion. Add the tomato paste. Deglaze with the malt beer and about 3/4 of the bock beer; the bones should only be barely covered. Bring to a boil briefly. Add a little salt and pepper. Carefully place the rolls on top (seam-down), making sure they are not sitting in the sauce. Grind a little sea salt over the rolls. Place the roasting pan with the lid in the oven at 150°C (top/bottom heat) for 1.5 hours. Remove the lid, add the remaining vegetables, garlic, and ginger, and return to the oven at 150°C for about 45 minutes, basting with a little Bock beer every now and then. Remove the rolls and place them on a rack, then return them to the oven at 200°C (top heat) for about 15 minutes. Be careful not to overcook or overcook them. Meanwhile, strain the meat juices into another pot, simmer slightly, and season with salt, pepper, a good balsamic vinegar (about 1 tbsp), mustard powder (mustard also works), and chili. Dissolve the cornstarch in cold water and add a spoonful at a time to the simmering sauce (until the desired consistency is reached). To serve, remove the string from the rolls and slice them. Drizzle some of the sauce over them. In my opinion, potatoes/potato products go very well with it (e.g. croquettes, mashed potatoes).