Asian Braised Pork Belly

like i always say...

you can't go wrong with pork belly.

it's easy, hard to over cook and always meaty fatty delicious.

this one is skin free and fully braised with Asian aromatics.

no crispy skin technique here...
this one just melts in your mouth.

it's definitely delicious after a 20 minute rest, but i like to let it cool and refrigerate.  then slice and give a quick sear in a medium hot pan.  serve with just about anything...on burgers, in a panini, with eggs, in spring rolls or just in is own broth with a few of the caramelized shallots.
FYI...it freezes well to.

2-3 pound pork belly, no skin

FOR THE BRAISING LIQUID

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar

ginger juice, i squeezed a few slices with my garlic press

3 star anise

1 Tbsp brown sugar

a few ginger slices

mix this together until sugar dissolves.

TASTE TEST.  add a little more this or that if necessary.  i'm sure i did.

ALSO...if this is not enough liquid for a braise (because your braisers vary) add a little chicken stock or just some more of the ingredients above.

NOTE...the shallots will weep so do not over do the liquid or you will be boiling the bottom of the belly.

make a bed in the bottom of braiser as shown below...

shallots, smashed garlic ginger slices, star anise.

place belly on bed and pour over braising liquid.  sprinkle with salt and szechwan peppercorns.
cover and put in 320 F oven for about 2 hours, then turn down to 300 for about another 1 1/2 hour, maybe 2 hr...  check your braising liquid.  do you need to take some out?...do you need to add a little?
  EVERY PORK BELLY IS DIFFERENT
you just have to check on it.  if it is truly fork tender then it is ready.
TOTAL TIME APPROX. 3 1/2 TO 4 HOURS

don't worry about the dark ugly looking burnt pan.  this one cleaned off in minutes

serve as is, melt in the mouth...

OR chill over night and slice off and sear as needed.

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Pig Tails. Asian Marinade, Braised and Roasted

nose to TAIL

we're talkin' PIG TAILS...

PHAT ! FATTY fabulous !

done them before (BBQ Style HERE) and i'll do them again.  this not for the weak, diet conscious, cholesterol high, tenderloin pansy palate bacon only-vegetarians.

THIS IS FOR THE, NOSE-TO-TAILERS, SNOOTER TO THE TOOTERS,  TIP-TO-TOE AND EVERYTHING INBETWEENERS

not what you'd expect them to look like ?...

NO, they aren't those cute little curly things on adorable little baby piggies you see in cartoons.

THEY ARE ACTUALLY QUITE UGLY
BUT...TO THE PORK LOVER AND TRUE "NOSE-TO-TAILER" THESE ARE A BEAUTIFUL THING.
porky, meaty, unctuous and fatty.

Shhhh....pig tails are still a CHEAP cut of the pig.
4 lbs. for about 6 bucks !

i just cooked the PIG SNOUTS in a Spicy Mexican Chipotle Adobo so i thought i would go Asian-style with these.  i thew together this marinade.  it worked very well for the braise and dipping sauce as well.  use whatever marinade you see fit, i'm sure it will be as tasty as ever with all this porky fatty goodness that comes together after hours of cooking.

MARINADE

1/2 cup soy

1/4 cup honey

2 big Tbsp brown sugar

juice 1 orange

zest pieces from 1/2 orange, use a potato peeler

6-7 thin slices of ginger

1 scallion, sliced

3 cloves smashed garlic

3 inch piece of smashed lemon grass

1 tsp chili garlic sauce

heat this in a small pot for a few minutes to get the flavors together and let it cool to room temp before pouring into bag of tails.  don't forget to do a taste test.
i had too many tails for 1 bag AND not quite enough marinade.  this was 4 lbs. of tails!!!  i split the contents and i had to substitute in a little Soy Vay Hoisin Garlic Sauce/Marinade.

seal the bag with as little air as possible, put into a pan to prevent leakage and place in the fridge over night.  try to turn the bag if you're up and about.

INTO THE OVEN FOR BRAISING

put in oven proof dish that will fit all the tails.  add marinade and liquid tails were in.  if it doesn't seen like enough you can add some stock, but as you can see i might have had just 1/2 inch of liquid...that worked great.  i would have used a huge cast iron dutch oven with a lid, but it was just too big so i put them in a pyrex glass dish in one layer.  i will probably have to check on them every hour to make sure the braise liquid is still there.

cover TIGHT with aluminum foil and they are ready for the 300-320 F oven
APPROX. 3-3 1/2 HOURS WILL DO IT

i started the oven at 320 F, but didn't realize it was on convection.  after an hour i peeked...they were already getting a lovely golden brown.  i turned convection OFF and lowered to 300 F for another hour.  the last hour was down to 280 F (i had to go to the sore and didn't want to over do it)
they should be done when you can easily pull a piece of the bone from the meat.

seriously...i could not stop eating them straight out of the dish.  i might have over done it on my PHAT quota for the week.

once again, my eyes were bigger than my stomach.  i packed some away with the delicious braising liquid for another application...something with pickled slaw, kimchi?, noodles...
or maybe a pulled pig tail banh mi ?

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