There are numerous ways to use pork belly in dishes. What this process will do is give you a way to serve it seared as an appetizer or part of a main dish. I have been preparing pork belly in restaurants for a fairly long time. I don't remember the exact restaurant but I believe it was in Seattle around 20 years ago, right before the trend of gastro-pubs started. Since I started working with it, I have made sure to include pork belly on every menu that I've worked on, and though I've changed the flavor and ingredients in the overall dish, the process has always been the same.
Pork belly is simple to make, and when made correctly it is amazing. Crispy outer skin, both the meat and the fat melting in your mouth with intense flavor. Unfortunately there is a flip side to it. When made incorrectly or poorly, you will have a chewy, flavorless chunk of under-seasoned meat, that only tastes of fat and will pretty much turn you off of belly from there on out. Following the process in this recipe with give you a tender, full flavored belly that you can use in a variety of ways.
I made this particular version for kimchi jjigae, a Korean pork belly and kimchi soup, so the flavors I used were tailored for that soup. In the past I've used lime and tequila to go with pickled jalapenos and creamed corn, sherry vinegar and orange juice when I was making a deconstructed cassoulet, and so on. Every time I make it, the method is the same though the preparation will vary a touch.
Sometimes when making dishes I will look to books or sites online to get refreshers or inspiration for what I am doing. My go to book for curing meats, making sausages, etc. has always been Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, & Curing, by Michael Rhulman & Brian Polcyn as a go to, or The River Cottage Meat Book, by Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall. There are plenty of other books out there that work, but those two cover almost everything you need.
When preparing belly, first I remove the outer skin. You can leave it on, but if you do and if it is improperly heated to serve, you get a chewy rubbery skin. I make a dry rub then marinate it for about 5 days. After that, I wash the rub off and pat dry the the belly. I re season it with salt and pepper, then sear it to get a crispy skin*. After searing I put it in a hotel pan/braising dish then add chicken stock and the ingredients that match the final product I'm making. I wrap the dish with parchment and foil, then braise it. Once the belly is knife tender I remove it from the braising liquid, and either strain or puree the mixture depending on purpose. After the belly is cooled, I then press it overnight in a fridge to make the texture more compact. From there it's done, you just portion it for your purposes and sear it to pick it up.
*If you use any form of sweetener in the rub/marinate (honey, sugar, molasses, etc.), when you sear it you need to be careful because the sugars will blacken quickly, and they can cause a bitter flavor in the end.
Ingredients
Pork Belly, raw 1 ea
Dry Rub*
Salt 1/4 cup
Pepper 1/4 cup
Avenue Spice 1/4 cup
Bay Leaves, crushed 4 ea
Gochugaru (Korean Chili Powder) 1 T
Whole Coriander 1 T
Ground Ginger 2 tsp
Braise*
Salt 2 T
Pepper 2 T
Chicken Stock 1 qt
Pineapple Juice 1/2 cup
Gochujang (Korean fermented chili paste) 3 T
Soy Sauce 1/4 cup
Fish Sauce 1 T
Carrots, peeled and chopped 3 ea
Onions, peeled and chopped 2 ea
Cilantro, whole 2 oz
*The ingredients you use in preparation should reflect the flavor of the you are making it for. This particular version was for a Kimchi Jjigae, so I modified the flavors in that direction.
Method of Procedure
Combine all the ingredients in your dry rub.
Using a long sharp knife (I normally use a slicing knife but really anything that will cover a large portion of the protein surface) cut the skin off of the pork belly.
Rub the pork belly on both sides and wrap it in plastic. Put into a braising dish and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
Remove the pork belly from the fridge and take off the plastic wrap. Wash off the outer layer of spice and pat it dry with paper towels.
Sear both sides of the belly to get color and place into an oven safe braising pan.
Mix all the braising ingredients together and pour into the pan with the pork belly.
Wrap the pork belly with an inner layer of parchment paper, and an outer layer of aluminum foil.
Braise in the oven for 3 hours.
Check to see if the pork belly is done by inserting a knife into the top. If the knife goes in with little resistance the belly is done.
Let the belly cool in the liquid.
Layer a hotel pan or braising dish with plastic wrap.
Once cooled remove the belly and and place it on the plastic wrap. Put another layer on top and cover it with another pan.
Put the pan with the belly in the fridge over night, putting some weight on the top pan to press it overnight.
Depending on the final dish you are making, strain out the vegetables from the braising liquid and reserve or puree the vegetables in the braising liquid and reserve.
The next day remove from the pan and portion it into serving sizes for your dish.
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