Original subtitles

Slow-cooking, one of my go-tos.

Like, I love a slow-cooked meal.

So simple, easy and you can just go about your day,

come back to it and it's pretty much done.

That's right!

It's very much a set-and-forget kind of recipe.

Yeah!

And in my world, something I find it hard to stuff up...

Oh!

..because a few little prep ingredients,

into the oven and that's it.

So, I'm going to make one of the recipes

that I do at home pretty frequently,

which is a slow-cooked beef brisket with a smoky tomato sauce

and a kale, apple and radish salad on the side.

That sounds delicious.

I'm going to do my crispy pork belly

with noodles and a gorgeous broth.

It's all about the slow cooking of the pork belly,

get that crispy crackling

and then the most delicious broth to go with it.

A noodle soup... Yeah.

..with slow-cooked pork, a beef brisket.

I mean... We're here all day.

We are!

Let's get going. It's gonna be a cracker.

Mike, you didn't believe me when I said

this is a recipe you can't really stuff up...

(LAUGHS) ..and that it's a set-and-forget.

So, let me show you how that happens.

Alright, prove to me, show me. OK!

Our oven's on at 160, heating up, because we need six hours for this.

I'd love for you to season the brisket...

Yep. ..with some salt, pepper.

And then we've got a pretty generous amount of Cajun spice here.

And that's just an easy way

to get all the spices you need all into the one place,

don't need to mix up your own,

and then you can just get it into the oven.

It's a nice, quick way of getting lots of flavour in, right?

So true. And you like Cajun spice?

Love Cajun, love Cajun!

We've had a Cajun chicken before together...

There's lots of lovely ways you can use it.

And I like to make sure that my brisket

is not going to fall off the onions.

So I just trim the bottom, so it's nice and flat.

And then we have a nice flat middle side as well.

So, that way when we've got the brisket on there

it just sits evenly in the tray. It's looking good.

It's a pretty decent-sized piece of brisket, isn't it?

It's a Mike size. (LAUGHS)

I like it, I like it.

Alright, onions go in and then we'll get the brisket

onto the top of that onion.

So literally just straight in like that, you're not sealing it?

Nah. Nothing? Easy.

No, I know I'm a very different cook to you

because I am a cook, not a chef. (LAUGHS)

So, I like to keep things simple but really flavoursome

and think about how we can incorporate

the health and nutrition components.

This brisket would never be served without a good salad.

(LAUGHS) So, we're going to do that as well.

It's definitely the first time

I've seen a brisket and kale on the same table.

(LAUGHS) Oh!

Alright, we are going to wrap the brisket

in a double layer of Glad Foil.

That's really important

'cause you want that nice seal and a heavy seal,

so a single layer doesn't quite cut it.

You need the double layer.

Then you get it into the oven

and you'll be cooking it for six hours.

Now, I never not check on my brisket throughout the six hours.

I don't want it to dry out in any way,

but if you do see that the water is really starting to evaporate,

just top it up with a little bit, pop it back in

and make sure that there's still that steam effect

circling around the meat,

'cause that's what makes it so juicy and delicious.

And pull apart and tender and... Oh! Yeah, you know it!

Mike, I'm going to make a beautiful smoky tomato sauce

to go with the beef brisket.

And because, you know,

you said you'd never seen cabbage or kale presented with a brisket...

(LAUGHS) ..I'm gonna get you on to making

the kale, apple and radish salad

because, you know what, there's a first time for everything.

I feel like I trod on some toes with that comment. (LAUGHS)

Not at all, not at all.

But we want this to be a wholesome family meal,

so we've got to get our vegies in there,

especially when we're serving up meat.

I'm just going to chop up half a red onion

so that we have a nice base for our sauce.

You don't need to get too fine on the chop of the red onion,

because we're actually going to blitz it all together

to make the sauce later,

and get it in the saucepan

with the extra-virgin olive oil.

For me, I think, "Brisket," I think, "Smoke."

I love how you're introducing that smoky element through the sauce.

Yeah! Like, it's really clever.

And the Cajun spice as well. Yeah.

There's enough of that chilli spice in there.

Absolutely.

So, this needs to saute for about 5-6 minutes

until the onion becomes translucent.

So, the onions have softened up.

We're going to add in the smoky paprika,

which will deliver that beautiful smokiness into the tomato sauce.

Then we'll add in the diced tomatoes.

These are an Aussie tomato.

You can see how rich and thick this one is in particular

because it's a combination of the tomatoes with a tomato paste,

which I love 'cause that then provides a nice thick sauce,

which is what we're after.

Yeah. It's a beautiful, deep red colour, hey?

It is!

And this is a lovely sauce too.

If you made up a double batch, for instance,

you can actually keep the smoky tomato sauce

in the fridge and have it... Yeah.

..where you might otherwise have a standard barbecue sauce,

but it's homemade, so it's just that little bit nicer.

It's a really nice cheat.

And then about a tablespoon of maple syrup

and if you like a little kick of heat in there,

then a pinch of chilli flakes is the way to do it.

And then it just simmers for 30-40 minutes.

Get our salad together.

And then really, it's just a waiting game for the brisket.

Oh, can't wait to taste!

I'm pretty happy with how this has turned out.

It's time to get it on the plate, so we can all tuck in.

Now, Mike, I love the salad you've made.

(LAUGHS) We've swapped.

I made the salad, she's done the meat.

That's what it's all about, though.

We get to learn from each other here, don't we?

Absolutely!

So, we'll get our meat in there.

Do you want to start picking some parsley?

Yeah, sure.

'Cause we're going to garnish the meat

with the parsley as well as the smoky tomato sauce.

And we absolutely cannot leave these juicy onions in the tray.

Oh, they look awesome!

They definitely want to be a feature within the serving dish.

We'll get a little bit more salt and pepper on there

before we serve as well.

And I think a little bit more

of extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice

on that salad would be..

Absolutely! ..perfect.

Now, the rich tomato, smoky sauce is going to go over the top,

or you could serve it on the side,

totally up to you, but I like it on the top.

That creates some nice contrasting colours on your serving dish.

This is so great because in six hours,

whilst this is cooking in the oven, you can achieve so much.

Yeah, you have your day, you know?

That's it!

There's not the need to check it.

You don't really even need to rest it, in my world.

(LAUGHS)

I prefer the rest where you lie down and shut your eyes.

Yeah! (LAUGHS)

Then some parsley over the top.

And then the moment of truth,

as we know with a slow cook, is its pull-ability.

Yeah. Is there a technical term for that?

Nah! Because I'm not sure if there is.

I'm happy with pull-ability.

Alright. (LAUGHS)

Let's see how we go, then.

This is my favourite bit, actually,

because, also, you don't have to think about how you're carving it.

The meat's just pulling away

beautifully.

Look at that. That's gorgeous!

That's cooked to perfection.

I'm pretty happy with the result here.

You know what you've got to do here, right?

Get little bit of everything?

A little bit of everything's really important.

So, straight in for some onion. Yeah.

Then in with the beef.

Look at that. Oh, look at that!

And the smoky tomato sauce, obviously a must.

It's a bit big. Oh!

From you?

(LAUGHS)

That's a pretty damn good brisket. Yeah.

Considering you literally shoved it in the oven.

(LAUGHS) That's about it.

So much flavour... Yeah.

..that sauce is spot-on.

Oh, those onions!

But really, it's just about a few key ingredients here.

Don't need to overdo it.

There's so much flavour that you just get

from good-quality tomatoes in the sauce.

Yeah.

From the good spice factor going on to the meat,

juicy onions and just some patience whilst it cooks,

which I think everyone could just enjoy

a little bit more slow time,

waiting for a beautiful meal like this to cook.

And then the result is pretty epic.

I agree with you, Jacq.

You will not be able to mess this up.

You have to try this.

It is divine.

Should we go back in? Yeah, please.

Crispy pork belly.

Oh!

Just makes me happy inside at the thought of it already.

And one of the easiest ways to achieve crackling is the simplest.

Leave it uncovered in your fridge overnight,

the day before you cook it.

Honestly, because it just dries out the skin.

That was just left uncovered last night.

OK, so you don't need any of the torching it

with the boiling hot water and patting it?

Look, there's levels of crackling, OK?

In my restaurants, it's a four-day process!

Of course!

At home - overnight, overnight. Alright.

And it's almost as good, OK?

It's pretty damn tasty, but you guys can judge.

So, I've left it just uncovered in the fridge overnight,

and I'm going straight into a dry pan

and I'm going to seal off the underside only. OK?

And that's just going to help get a more even cook later.

So, we're going to get a nice colour on that.

Jacq, can you slice some spring onion or shallots,

chilli, ginger, chopped garlic as well please?

And what I'm going to do with the Glad Foil

is just create a little nest for our pork belly.

So, I just put two sheets over like that

and then fold it in.

A nest, you called it?

Yeah, you know, like a basket or a nest

just, basically, to lock in

and hold our marinade

and keep our pork nice and tight in there.

We're using some gorgeous Australian pork today,

which, for me, is genuinely some of the best pork in the world.

And that's the colour you're looking for.

That beautiful golden brown,

really nicely sealed.

And remember, that was achieved from a dry pan.

Now, for the marinade,

we are going to use some brown sugar,

a couple of tablespoons of soy sauce.

Sweet and salty.

One of my favourites, miso.

Oh, you can't go wrong with miso. You can't!

I love miso. It's just a flavour bomb.

I'm going to give that a nice mix together.

And it's just going to create that beautiful, like, paste.

Mm!

It smells good too.

And now,

we put all of your spring onions

and chilli ginger in the base.

Drop our paste in.

I thought you were going to coat the paste around the pork.

Absolutely, you can... Plot twist!

..rub it into the pork, only on the meat, avoid the skin...

Yeah! ..100%.

I'm literally going to repeat that process just like this.

Well, that's just a whole lot easier, really.

It's just less washing up. (LAUGHS)

I don't know how many times I have to say it,

but if I can do less dishes, I will do less dishes.

That's right.

So, bring that closer in.

Make it nice and snug.

Bring over our roasting tray.

You can score the skin.

It will give you a slightly bigger lift in your crackling.

You don't have to.

I want to show you

how easy crackling can be by using less salt as well.

Into your oven at 230 degrees for 20 minutes.

So, that intense heat at the beginning

will give you the balloon in your crackling,

and then you want to drop it down to 160

for the next three hours,

and then you'll end up with a beautiful, juicy, pulled pork belly

underneath a crispy crackling.

And then we're going to get our broth on the go as well.

Really quick, easy broth recipe.

If you've got time to make a beautiful chicken stock

pork stock, amazing!

Congrats to you, I don't.

(BOTH LAUGH)

So, I'm using a good chicken stock, pre-made,

which I'm basically going to bring to the boil

and then infuse it with,

you know, those beautiful flavours.

And, when I do a quick broth like this, I cheat it.

And the way I cheat it is by using a dashi.

Dashi is basically just one up from a good fish sauce.

It's got, you know, those bonito, seaweed, mushroom,

those real umami flavours in there,

which just give you a really good punch.

It's a bit more refined than a fish sauce, isn't it?

Absolutely, absolutely. I really prefer dashi.

So, we just give that a nice couple of tablespoons

and then, like, dashi is a seasoning, guys.

Once you get to the end, once it's been simmering,

if you need more, add more.

It's all about to your taste.

So, I'm adding in about 80ml of soy sauce.

That's my broth that I'm just going to leave ticking over now.

And then we're basically getting the bowls ready.

I've got some beautiful udon noodles here,

which I've just pre-blanched.

I'm going to sit them on the base of the bowls

and then build up with that Thai basil,

the spring onions, the chilli, the bean sprouts.

Get that broth up to 10, season that

and then we'll be ready with the pork belly.

What do you reckon?

That crackling is impressive.

It's a super simple way of achieving beautiful crackling.

Sure is!

And that salt, we just knock off. It's amazing!

And then when I lift out that pork belly,

look at that beautiful marinade underneath.

Oh!

If you could smell it...

Incredible.

And then listen to this. (CRACKLING)

That's the sort of crackling you want, right?

Low work, low maintenance,

maximum results.

And the pork flesh is beautifully cooked.

You can see it's going to be...

You can see, yeah. ..all soft and delicious.

It's juicy... Oh!

Let's plate it up.

Look at that.

There's a real rainbow in the bowl too, isn't there?

Yeah, it's pretty, it's colourful.

You know, it's everything I want in a noodle broth.

And then we're just going to finish it

with some beautiful Thai basil in there

just for that fresh, you know...

Mm, it is so fresh, Thai basil. Yeah.

And then all we need to do is fill up these babies.

I love the authenticity of the broth pouring as well.

It's a little bit of a ceremony going on here.

Beautiful, isn't it? Yeah.

Those little things make food just that little bit more special,

which when you haven't had to do much prep work otherwise,

is a nice finishing touch.

The colour of that broth,

to achieve that with such little ingredients, little work.

Look at that.

So rich and delicious.

I've got some lime for you too. Yes, please.

Just a little bit of squeeze for the acidity.

You've got sweet, salty, spicy... That's it.

..umami, sour, the perfect balance of flavours.

She took the words right out of my mouth.

If you said to a friend or a loved one,

"Would you like a mini brie bread bowl?"

I'm sure there'd be a resounding, "Yes, please."

Bread, cheese, let's go.

I'm going to start by slicing up some mushrooms,

but I think the great thing about a mini bread bowl

is the beautiful brie that's going to be stuffed inside the bread.

Bear with me, it'll all make sense shortly,

but I want to make a little flavour bomb

to go on top of our cheese.

So, we've got some mushrooms that I'm just going to slice up,

and some shallots and some bacon

because everything is better with bacon.

(CHUCKLES)

A good drizzle of olive oil into our hot pan.

Then we're going to add in our mushrooms,

while we slice up our other ingredients,

they can start frying off.

Shallots.

Shallots just have a great sweet flavour

that will pair really well with the cheese.

Again, cheese and onion, great partners.

OK. Shallots, in we go.

And then I've got two rashers of bacon here.

Just want to thinly slice that and add that into the pan.

And we'll give these a bit of a mix around.

I'll let this cook for a few minutes

until the bacon's starting to get crispy.

It will go in the oven,

so it doesn't need to cook for too long.

I'll put some herbs in there.

Then we'll get on to prepping our bread bowl.

Alright, I've done some arts and crafts,

and I've cut my hole into the bread bowl.

That's where some of our bacon, mushroom and shallot mix

is going to go first,

which is just cooked off nicely.

So, we'll get a good pile of that inside.

This is a bit of fun.

This is something, if you brought this out at a dinner party,

it would be very impressive.

Now, the cheese.

Beautiful triple-cream brie

'cause single cream isn't going to be enough today.

We want that beautiful, rich, indulgent taste.

There we go.

Now, we just nestle our wheel of brie

into the bread bowl.

Then I might just do a little crosshatch,

just to help that cheese,

once it's in the oven,

to become all nice and melty and gooey.

I've got a tiny little bit

of our bacon, mushroom, and shallot mix,

so we'll just scatter a little bit on top.

Now, those insides of the bread that I dug out,

I don't want them to go to waste. So, I've got them here.

So, I'm literally just going to tear that up

and scatter it around our bread bowl,

because they will be great dipping vessels

for our cheese also.

OK.

This will go into the oven now,

180 degrees, about 15 minutes,

until the cheese is nice and melty

and the bread bowl is nice and crispy.

Now, this gets me excited,

I mean, the cheese is just wobbling.

Ta-da.

Place it onto your board.

Get these crispy pieces of bread

and just scatter them

around the outside.

And then, I just want to finish it

with a little drizzle of olive oil.

And then, just to emphasise those fresh herbs

a bit of thyme on top...

..and some rosemary sprigs.

There you go. My brie mini bread bowl.

Put this in the middle of the table and watch it disappear.

Let's slice it in half and see what we're dealing with.

Ready?

(CLAPS)

Wow.

Captions by Red Bee Media