I love living in a neighborhood populated by lots of different cultures. One of the most obvious (to me at least) signs of this melting pot is the selection of variety meats on the grocery store shelves. Where most would only find steaks, chops and roasts, my Key Foods has calf heart, veal brains and one of my favorite things in the world, pork belly. Some of you may know it as chicharron, but you may as well call it bacon steak because that's what it is. A slab of fat with a little meat and delicious skin that gets crunchy when you cook it. I did mine a little Texas/Asian fusion and smoked the belly then braised it with shitakes, ginger and a jalapeno.
You will need:
1/2 lb pork belly
1/2 cup
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, sliced thin
10-12 shitake mushrooms, stems removed
3 gloves garlic
1 small piece of ginger (see pic)
1 jalapeno
1 tablespoon chili paste
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon mirin
1 of your favorite beers, not too bitter
1 lb red potatoes, halved
2 tablespoons curry powder
1/4 cup pork fatback, diced
Salt and pepper
Making a homemade smoker out of a wok or any other deep pot or pan is so simple you'll slap yourself for not barbecuing indoors more often. Then again my apartment still smells like bacon three days later so, your choice.
Line the bottom of your wok with three large pieces of aluminum foil. Make sure there's no wok surface exposed. Make a pouch out of foil and put in your chips. Place the pouch in the bottom of the wok and a roasting rack over it. Place the belly on the rack, season with salt and pepper and cover tightly with more crimped aluminum foil. Make sure there's a good seal or you'll end up like me with a smoky kitchen. Turn the heat on low and leave it there for one hour.
In the meanwhile, slice one white onion...
...de-stem and slice the shitake mushrooms...
...mince the garlic, ginger and jalapeno...
...and begin to sweat them in the butter with the chili paste, soy and fish sauces and mirin until the onions are soft and translucent.
After the belly has smoked for an hour, cut it into large lardons and throw it in with the veg.
Deglaze the pot with your favorite beer. I used Lighthouse Ale. It's brewed on Fire Island and it's delicious. Season, bring to a boil, drop to a simmer, cover and braise for six hours.
After five hours, begin prepping the potatoes. Render your pork fat in a large cast iron skillet until almost all of it is liquid. Toss potatoes in salt, pepper and curry powder and then toss in the fat. Make sure everything's nice and shimmery. Roast in a 400 degree oven for one hour.
Oops. Good thing I already used what I needed. Better sweep that up before the gf gets home.
After six hours, remove the pork belly and simmer the braising liquid to reduce it. This is going to be a luxurious sauce that our pork and potatoes will swim in.
In a large pan over high heat, sear the pork belly till it's brown and crispy on all sides.
This is what the potatoes should look like after an hour in the oven. I like to smash mine up a bit. Gives the dish a rustic feel.
And here's the finished product. Potatoes on the base, a few chunks of belly, as slather of sauce and mushrooms. The garnish on top is crushed pork rinds, just like you get at the corner store. I'm not above it and you shouldn't be either. It looks good and adds a whole new dimension to the dish.
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