Braised Pork Belly Sandwich With Pesto Mayo Recipes

CRISPY PORK BELLY SANDWICH

Steps:

• For the braised pork belly: Sprinkle the pork belly with the garlic pepper seasoning, then refrigerate, 24 hours.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and preheat a large skillet over medium heat.
• Sear both sides of the pork belly until charred (about 5 minutes per side). Immediately add the rice wine, carrot, celery, onion, salt, sugar, star anise, cloves, Sichuan peppercorns and red chile pepper and bring to a boil. Cover with aluminum foil and transfer to the oven. Let cook for 3 hours, then remove the pork belly from the liquid and allow to cool. Cut into 6-ounce portions.
• For the peach hoisin sauce: Put the peaches in a blender and blend into a puree. Pour into a bowl, then add the hoisin sauce and sugar and whisk until well blended.
• For the sandwich: Bring oil to 325 degrees F in a deep-fryer.
• Thickly slice a 6-ounce portion of braised pork belly (it should come out to 5 to 6 slices per portion). Fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Toast the bun. Place the fried pork belly on the bottom bun. Drizzle with peach hoisin sauce and serve with kimchi on the side.

BRAISED PORK BELLY

Steps:

• 1.Rubbing the belly - day one.
• 2.Coarsely grind these spices and toast them in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Trim the fat down to about ¾ inch on the outer layer, if necessary. Score the belly. Rub the spices all over the belly. Let it sit overnight in the refrigerator.
• 3.Brining the belly - day two.
• 4.Heat 2 quarts of water over medium high heat. Add the sugar, salt, and bay leaves. Stir and heat until the sugar and salt dissolves. Add the remaining 2 quarts of water. Place the rubbed belly into the ziploc, add the brine, seal it and let it rest in the refrigerator.
• 5.Braising the belly - day three.
• 6.Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• 7.Remove the belly from the refrigerator, pat it dry, and allow it to come to room temperature. Heat a large, heavy dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the belly on both sides.
• 8.Add the chopped veg, the wine, and the stock or water. Bring the heat up on this and then cover with a lid and cook in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the pork is incredibly tender.
• 9.Remove from the oven, take the pork, move it to another pan, and keep it covered. Remove the visible fat from the remaining pan juices by either skimming it off or pouring it through cheesecloth.
• 10.Return the juices to the pan, add wine and water or stock if necessary and reduce over medium-high until the consistency meets your needs. Taste for seasoning.
• 11.Serve the belly portions in a shallow bowl with the pan juices.

BRAISED PORK BELLY

Steps:

• To prepare the pork belly, place an 11-inch sauté pan over high heat. Add the vegetable oil and heat until the oil just begins to smoke. Using tongs, carefully place the fatty side of the pork belly in the pan and cook until it turns golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn the pork belly over and repeat on the other sides until nicely browned all over. Decrease the heat if the oil begins to smoke again.
• In a 4-quart saucepan, combine the seared pork belly, the cold water, sake, and smashed ginger, and place over high heat. Bring the liquid to a boil, then decrease the heat; simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes.
• To make the braising liquid, combine all the ingredients in a 4-quart saucepan.
• Drain the pork belly and discard the liquid, then add the pork belly to the braising liquid in the saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Braise for 1 1/2 hours, or until the pork belly is very tender.
• Transfer the pork belly and braising liquid to a container and refrigerate, uncovered, until cool, then cover and chill overnight.
• The next day, assemble a steamer on the stove top. You can use a perforated pan, steam basket, or bamboo steamer. Fill the bottom with water, cover, and set over high heat. Decrease the heat to medium once the water comes to a boil.
• To prepare the garnishes, discard the outer leaves of the iceberg lettuce. Place 3 large leaves in a bowl of cold water along with the cucumber slices. Set aside. (I like to soak cut vegetables in cold water for 10 minutes because it helps them retain their freshness and crispness.)
• To make the sauce, combine 1/2 cup of the chilled braising liquid and the hoisin sauce in a small saucepan and set over high heat. In a bowl, mix the water and cornstarch until smooth. When the sauce just begins to boil, whisk in the cornstarch and cook briefly, just until the sauce begins to thicken. Make sure that it doesn't thicken too much-the sauce should run in a steady stream when poured. Set aside.
• To make the mustard sauce, mix the mustard powder and water in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Remove the pork belly from the remaining braising liquid and cut into 8 slices, each 1/4 inch thick. (You'll have leftover pork belly after you cut these slices. See below for other uses.) Place the slices in a single layer side by side with the halved buns on a plate small enough to fit in the steamer (don't put the buns directly on the steamer because they will stick to it). If you have a large steamer you can do this in one batch, if your steamer is smaller, just steam the pork belly and buns in several batches. Set the plate in the steamer, cover, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until soft and heated through.
• While the pork belly and buns are steaming, finish preparing the garnishes by draining the lettuce and cucumber and patting dry with a towel. Cut the lettuce into pieces the size of the steamed buns and stack in 4 small piles. Top each pile with 2 slices of cucumber.
• To serve, assemble a braised pork "sandwich" by placing the lettuce, cucumber, and 2 slices of pork belly on half of a bun. Drizzle the sauce over the meat and top with the other half of the bun. Serve the mustard on the side. Repeat for the remaining 3 buns.
• Ideas for Leftover Pork Belly
• Any leftover pork belly and remaining braising liquid can be frozen for up to 2 months. The braising liquid can be used in the Shoyu Ramen broth (page 24) and the pork belly can be used as a garnish for various ramens or for fried rice.

PULLED PORK PESTO SANDWICH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Combine kosher salt, 1/4 cup black pepper, 1/4 cup Italian seasoning, rosemary, granulated garlic, granulated onion, 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, and lemon pepper together in a bowl.
• Place pork shoulder in a large roasting pan. Rub with lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, red wine vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce on all sides and between any crevices. Sprinkle with kosher salt mixture and rub over all sides. Pour white wine, chicken stock, and 4 crushed garlic cloves into the bottom of the roasting pan.
• Cover pan tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil and roast pork in the preheated oven until tender and a thermometer inserted reaches 200 degrees F (95 degrees C), 3 to 4 hours. Transfer pork to a cutting board and allow to cool slightly before pulling. Using two forks, shred the pork shoulder into bite-size pieces. Transfer meat to a large bowl and toss with some of the pan juices to keep it moist.
• Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat; cook and stir goat horn peppers, red bell pepper, onion, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper in the hot oil until onion softens and begins to turn golden, about 12 minutes.
• Stir in mushrooms, garlic basil spread, and Marsala wine and cook until wine has reduced and mushrooms have softened, about 5 minutes. Mix pulled pork and pesto sauce into vegetables and heat through, about 10 minutes. Spoon pork mixture into hoagie buns and top each with 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.
• Place sandwiches onto a baking sheet and bake in the hot oven until cheese is melted and bread is toasted, about 5 minutes. Top with cherry tomatoes and basil.