A nice big piece of pork belly, slow-cooked, is a little melting piece of heaven. Leave the skin on and cook it right, and it will be a crispy, crunchy, soft-in-the-middle revelation.
Timing Note: Also allow at least 3 hours (ideally overnight) for drying in fridge.
Courtesy of Derek Bocking of Derek’s Kitchen
ingredients
Simple Brine (To Cure The Pork
Crispy Pork Belly
directions
Bring the brine to a boil then cool it down in the fridge. You can add any aromatics you like, such as garlic, thyme or bay leaves. Submerge pork in brine and let sit in the fridge overnight.
Pre-heat the oven to 280ºF.
Thoroughly rinse the pork belly in cold water and then pat dry with paper towels. Score the skin of the belly down to the fat using the sharpest knife you own. An inexpensive box-cutter razor works great for jobs like this. Allow the skin to dry in the fridge, uncovered, for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a cast iron pan and place the pieces of pork belly in the pan skin side down. Adjust the heat until the skin is frying with a slow steady sizzle. Allow the skin to fry until it is golden and crispy. This will take about 8 to 12 minutes. Keep a close eye on the pan as it cooks, adjusting the temperature of the pan as you go. You want the pan hot enough that you can hear the skin sizzling, but not so hot that it will burn.
When the skin has crisped, flip the belly over and finish it in the oven at 280ºF for 15 minutes.
While the pork cooks in the oven, make the honey glaze. Combine the honey, mustard, soy sauce, ginger & garlic in a small sauce pot. Add a couple tablespoons of water and bring to a simmer. Let simmer until the water has boiled off, about 5 minutes, then strain.
Remove the pork belly from the oven and then use a pastry brush to apply the honey glaze. Return the pork to the oven for 2 minute and then take it back out and glaze it one more time.
Heat the red wine glazed cabbage and then divide it among 4 plates. Place one piece of pork belly on each plate and drizzle with extra braising juice from the cabbage and honey ginger glaze.