We picked up a slab of pork belly from one of the farmer’s market vendors, and it’s been sitting in the freezer, waiting for me to figure out how I wanted to cook it. It’s not the first time I’ve cooked pork belly, but this time I wanted to braise it. This recipe was exactly what I was looking for.
This takes a bit of planning, because the pork belly is braised at a low temperature for six hours the day before serving. The glaze can be made ahead of time, making it a good dish to serve company – just sear it off and coat it with the glaze and it’s ready.
The leftovers make great wraps and sandwiches, especially with some avocado. I’ve got another slab of belly in the freezer, and next time I’m going to try the same recipe but do the braise in the pressure cooker. The glaze would be good mixed with shredded pork shoulder as well. The rest of dinner continued the bacon theme – bacon in the grits, bacon in the Brussels sprouts. I think I prefer both without bacon but overall it was still a pretty good dinner. I’m looking forward to exploring Twenty some more. The recipe for the pork belly is posted on Michael Ruhlman’s site and the grits recipe can be found on The Splendid Table.
- Braised Pork Belly with Caramel-Miso Glaze (Ruhlman’s Twenty, p. 269)
- Brussels Sprouts Sautéed in Spicy Bacon Fat (Ruhlman’s Twenty, p. 240)
- Grits (Ruhlman’s Twenty, p. 141)
Wine: 2006 Sea Smoke Southing Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands, California). Stellar.
