Monday, February 22, 2016

A Belly full of Pork Belly

Pork belly is one of those things you either like or you don't. I thought I liked it but after today's version; I love the stuff! My husband, however, can't understand its burgeoning popularity. He just equates it with fat.


But I'm going to share this method that is amazing and makes a fabulous hunk o' crispy love!

Time: 11-12 hours (including drying, marinating and roasting time. Active time is about 30 minutes total)

Start with a pork belly that you've patted dry with with paper towels and pricked all over with a sharp skewer being careful just to pierce the skin, not the meat. Combine about 1TBS baking soda with 1TBS sea salt and rub into the skin side of the pork belly covering it completely.
Place on a plate, uncovered in the fridge for about 8 hours. This will draw the moisture out of the skin to get you that lovely crackle when it's finished.

After 8 hours (or about 3 1/2 hours before you want to serve) remove the pork belly from the fridge and rinse well under cold water. Pat dry and give a quick pour of rice vinegar over the skin side and rinse again. This will ensure you've removed all the baking soda. Pat the whole thing dry.

Marinade:

1 tsp fennel seed
2 tsp coriander seed
1 tsp 5 spice powder
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 TBS soy sauce
1 tsp honey
1 tsp rice wine
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp orange juice

Method:

Toast fennel and coriander seed in a small pan until fragrant and grind in a spice grinder or mortar & pestle. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Place pork belly skin side down on a rack over a pan to catch drippings. Pour marinade over meat side of pork, spreading to ensure coverage. Let marinade at room temp for 30 minutes, then go back and collect the drippings in the pan, redistribute over the meat side and marinate for another 30 minutes.


Preheat oven to 325 (I used the roast setting, use bake if you don't have a 'roast' option)

Clean out the drippings from the pan, line with foil and place the pork, skin side up in the same rack. If you don't clean out the marinade you'll need a strong fan because that stuff will smoke like crazy with all that sugar! Roast the pork for about 2 hours turning the pan once to ensure even cooking. On the roast setting, I was able to see the skin begin to get hard and slightly bubble.

Now, crank up the heat to 500 (or as hot as your oven gets) and let it roast for another 30 minutes until the skin browns and crackles and gets puffy.

Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 30 minutes uncovered. Then just slice and serve.


Depending of the fat portions of your meat, you shouldn't have large chunks of fat as the fat should melt away during roasting but the meat is still very rich with the dissolved fats. I opted to serve it over mixed baby kale and bean thread noodles dressed with ponzu and rice vinegar to offset some of the richness of the meat. Oh this was seriously so luscious with a rich mouthfeel. Truly the best pork belly I've had. I plan to use the leftovers in a soup since I am embarking on some homemade ramen noodles this week. Enjoy!

2 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. thanks Leanne - it really was and I think it may be better in ramen even!

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