It is a prized part of the pig that’s loved by many. Cooked low and slow, the meat melts in your mouth. Roasted low and slow, the crunch factor of the crackling is unbeatable, and the meat soft and succulent.
If you’ve ever eaten bacon (sometimes labelled as streaky bacon), you’ve had pork belly. If you have ever had pancetta, you’ve eaten pork belly. If you love Porchetta – Italian rolled roast pork, then you like pork belly and if one of your favourite things to order at a Chinese restaurant is Siu Yuk, Cantonese-style roast pork, then you have had pork belly. There are many steamed pork buns in Asian cuisines in which braised and twice-cooked pork belly is the star. Nestled between pillowy soft white buns, these flavourful meaty bao buns are an experience. Memorable ones. I can still remember the first time I had such a bun at David Chang’s Momofuku Noodle Bar in the East Village in New York, a little over 12 years ago.
I am talking about pork belly today because I received emails and messages from readers of last week’s column in which braised pork belly was mentioned. They wanted to know how to make it. Before I get to a recipe let me just briefly explain what pork belly is.
It is as it states, the belly part of the pig. In the Caribbean, we refer to it as pork flap. As you well know, we have a reputation for calling things as we see them. The term flap is used because the boneless piece of meat, which is found on both sides of the underbelly after the animal has been slaughtered, and gutted, hangs loose and flexible. Too much information? Get a grip. It is important to know where your food comes from.
As populations change, people migrate, emigrate and travel to experience the world, our appetite for certain things increase and decrease. Ultimately, what ends up on counters, stalls and shelves, changes, and so too do prices. The price I pay for pork belly today is actually higher than what I would pay for a premium cut of meat. And I have to order it from the butcher a week in advance because of demand. I think I mentioned this before: here in Barbados, the butchers used to discard tripe meat, but due to the Guyanese influence, you can now get tripe at the market, and it’s fetching a price almost equal to some choice cuts. Before, you only used to be able to get imported tripe available in small quantities in supermarkets.
Back to the pork belly itself.
The spare ribs are found just above pork belly, so if your butcher cuts some of the spare ribs too, it’s all good and will work in the recipe. The dish requires overnight marinating of the meat for good flavour. It is then cooked in its own juices, low and slow in a regular pan or pot, or a pressure cooker if you prefer.
The braised pork belly can be served as cutters, eaten with rice or noodles on its own or with some steamed vegetables, or be sandwiched between slices of bread or rolls. And if you are up to it, make some steamed buns (bao) to eat with it.
You can use any flavour combination to make this recipe. I use various seasonings based on what I have available and what flavours I feel like having. This version has Asian flavours. Here’s how I make it.
INGREDIENTS
● 3 pounds pork belly with skin on
● 1 tablespoon grated garlic
● 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
● Minced hot pepper to taste
● 2 tablespoons regular soy sauce
● 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
● 1 teaspoon black Chinese vinegar or dry sherry
● 2 teaspoons sweet soy sauce (Kecap manis) or 1 teaspoon
sugar
● Salt to taste
● ¼ to ½ cup hot water
● Thinly sliced scallions/green onions
DIRECTIONS
1. Wash and pat dry the meat. Cut it into 2-inch pieces and add to a bowl.
2. Add the remaining ingredients except the hot water and scallions/green onions to the bowl with the meat and mix well ensuring that the meat is well coated with the sauces etc. Cover bowl tightly and refrigerate overnight.
3. At least 1 hour before you are ready to cook, bring the meat up to room temperature. Remove the meat from the marinade (reserve the marinade).
4. Heat a heavy bottomed pan/pot or pressure cooker over medium heat until hot with wisps of smoke starting to swirl upwards.
5. Add the meat in an even layer to the pot/pan and let cook for 3 minutes before tossing and turning. Cook for another 3 minutes. Let the meat cook longer if it releases any juices.
6. If using a regular pot/pan, add the ½ cup hot water to the reserved liquid, cover the pot/pan, bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat to very low. Cook covered for 45 minutes or until meat is tender and all of the liquid is reduced, or, if you like, a very thick sauce coats the meat. If using a pressure cooker, add only ¼ cup of water, stir, cover and bring the pot up to pressure. Cook for 3 minutes then reduce heat to low/simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Release pressure and give the pot a good stir. If there is liquid that needs to dry down, turn the heat to high and let cook uncovered.
7. Regardless of how you cook the meat, when it is finished, let it rest for 15 minutes before serving; garnish with scallions before serving.
NOTE
Meat and poultry depending on a variety of things will yield more liquid than some when cooking, therefore, when cooking on the stovetop in particular, check halfway through the cooking process to see if you need to add a little liquid. If you do, add boiling water, not cold tap or room temperature water.
Enjoy!
Cynthia
