Pork & Poultry Workshop

Chicken and pork are the two meats most home cooks reach for every week, and the two most often overcooked. In this full-day Pork & Poultry Workshop you'll learn to prepare them properly, control your heat, and know exactly when they're done.

You'll start by breaking down a whole chicken and turning the frame into stock. From there you'll pan-roast, fry and sauce your way through the bird, then move on to pork: a slow-roasted belly with proper crackling, a pan-seared cutlet, and a Vietnamese caramelised pork that shows how far one cut can travel.

Who This Workshop Is For

• Home cooks who want chicken and pork they can cook with confidence, every time
• Anyone who has struggled with dry chicken breast or soft crackling
• Food lovers building their skills through The Confident Home Cook program
• A memorable gift for someone who loves to cook

What You'll Learn

By the end of the day you'll be able to:

• Break down a whole chicken into breasts, thighs, drumsticks and wings, and use the frame for stock
• Control heat when roasting, pan-searing and frying
• Judge doneness by touch and temperature, and rest meat properly
• Score, dry and roast pork belly for crisp crackling and tender meat
• Build a quick pan sauce from the fond left in the pan

The Menu

• Chicken butchery & quick stock – break down a whole bird and start a stock from the frame
• Pan-roasted chicken breast with thyme, garlic and a butter pan sauce
• Buttermilk fried chicken with chilli honey
• Crispy roast pork belly with crackling and apple-cider glaze
• Pan-seared pork cutlet with sage, mustard and cider sauce
• Vietnamese caramelised pork (thịt kho) with steamed rice

How the day works: The pork belly goes in early so it has time to roast and rest while you work through the chicken. You'll see a whole-bird breakdown demonstrated, then do your own at your bench.

What to Expect

• Full-day, hands-on class – 10:00am to 4:00pm
• Your own bench, with step-by-step guidance from an expert chef
• Small group of up to 16 for plenty of one-on-one help
• Premium Victorian free-range chicken and pork
• Sit down and enjoy what you cook, with a glass of wine, beer or soft drink
• Recipes to take home so you can cook it all again

This is Day 1 of The Confident Home Cook, but you can book it on its own.