There’s a Chinese supermarket conveniently located next to my gym where I’m known to buy pork belly right after spending an hour on the treadmill. Even the butcher gives me an amused look when I ordered a pound of center cut while still in my sweaty work-out clothes. Sometimes the best intentions in the world aren’t enough when the thought of a fork-tender piece of slow cooked belly hits you and it doesn’t help that it’s glazed with a tangerine-sesame emulsion with some rice wine vinegar to cut through the richness which makes this dish reminiscent of canard a l’orange with an Asian twist [gasp]. Needless to say, I’m heading back to the gym tomorrow.

I can’t think of a better way to enjoy a soft pork belly than with some creamy grits. I had this combination at Savoy in New York a few month ago and it made perfect sense. Those two understand each other like Brad and Angelina. You will achieve better results if you cure the piece of pork belly first (using the tangerine zest in the cure), cook it very slowly in lard, let it rest overnight and crisp the skin side before glazing it with the tangerine-sesame emulsion. You could skip some steps but as always good cooking can’t be rushed. That’s plenty of time you could spend on the treadmill as a preemptive action against porky goodness. And we all know how much we love that porky goodness around here.

Enjoy!

• Pork Belly confit with tangerine-sesame emulsion, grits & chinese chives

• Serves 6

• • For the dry cure & confit:

  • 4 lbs pork belly
  • 1/3 cup Kosher salt
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • Grated zest from 8 tangerines
  • 1 tablespoon rosemary, finely chopped
  • 6 cups lard

  • For the tangerine-sesame emulsion:

  • Juice from 8 tangerines, strained
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

  • To finish:

  • 4 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup grits
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • chinese chives
  • shimeji mushrooms

• • For the dry cure:

  • Combine the kosher salt and sugar in a small bowl and add the grated zest and chopped rosemary. Rub with your fingers until the zest and rosemary is fully incorporated and the mixture is fragrant.
  • If the pork belly still have the skin on, remove it carefully with a sharp knife. Rub the salt/sugar mixture all over the pork belly. Discard the excess. Place on a clean baking tray. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (no more than 12 hours).
  • Preheat oven to 200’F.  Put the pork belly in a dutch oven and cover with the lard; the lard should cover the pork by 1/2 to 3/4 inch. Heat the pot over low heat until it registers about 225’F. Cover, transfer to the oven and cook until the pork is meltingly tender; this will probably take 5 to 6 hours, but start checking after 4 hours. Remove the pot from the oven and let cool to room temperature.
  • When cool, pour enough fat into a deep dish to just cover the belly. Cover with plastic wrap, top with a smaller baking dish and weight it down with a large can. Refrigerate overnight.
  • When ready to serve, remove the belly from the fat and portion it into large cubes. Seared the belly in a large skillet, fat side down, on low heat for 15 minutes. Finish in the oven for another 15 min brushing the tangerine-sesame emulsion over it, and basting it until nicely glazed.

  • For the tangerine-sesame emulsion:

  • In a small saucepan, reduce the tangerine juice to a syrupy consistency. Whisk in the rice wine vinegar and sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper. Use to glaze the pork belly and as a sauce.

  • To finish:

  • Cook the grits in the milk until creamy, about 15 minutes. Finish with butter, salt and pepper.
  • Sautee the chinese chives and shimeji mushrooms until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Place some of the creamy grits in the center of 6 plates, top with a piece of glazed pork belly. Garnish with sautee chives and shimeji mushrooms and use the leftover tangerine-sesame emulsion as a sauce.

Tags: Entree, Meat, Pork