Most of my recipes are, if not downright healthy, at least health-conscious. This recipe, which calls for a large piece of pork belly slowly cooked in fat, isn’t one of them.
For some reason, though pork belly is a fatty cut of meat, the best way to cook it is by immersing it in fat and gently cooking it in a low oven. This method of cooking is of course called confit and derives from French country cooking. It is traditionally used to cook goose or duck or even foraged mushrooms, which are then held in the fat during the lean winter months.
The final step in cooking the pork is to crisp the outside of it in a little bit of its own fat and then to glaze it with a sweet-tart glaze made from citrus juice, a glaze that gives it an appealing shine.
Serve this pork belly confit with white beans or sautéed greens.
Pork Belly Confit with Tangerine Glaze
Ingredients
2 pounds unseasoned pork belly
4 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
2-3 cups canola oil
TANGERINE GLAZE
Tangerine Glaze
3 cups tangerine or orange juice
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons yuzu or lime juice
Directions
To make the Tangerine Glaze: In a non-reactive pot, reduce the tangerine or orange juice and brown sugar to about ⅓ cup. Whisk in the yuzu or lime juice. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
To make the Pork Belly Confit: At least two days before serving, pat dry the pork belly and in a small bowl, whisk together the salt, brown sugar and Chinese Five Spice. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture evenly all over the pork belly and place the belly in a small dish. Cover with plastic wrap tightly and refrigerate 48 hours.
After 48 hours, rinse off the pork belly and pat dry. Preheat oven to 300.
Place in a baking dish just large enough to hold it and cover with the canola oil. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake 4-5 hours or until tender. Cool in the fat and refrigerate covered.
(The pork belly can stay refrigerated for up to a month.)
To serve, remove from the fat and cut into 4 equal pieces. In a Dutch oven, slowly brown the pork belly on both sides, about 10 minutes. Pour off the fat and brush the belly pieces all over with the tangerine glaze. Serve immediately.
