Braised Pork Belly

Oh hey guys, it's been a while. Well, I'm prepping this post while I wait for my office holiday party to start, so I'll keep this short and sweet. This was the first recipe I tried in my fancy new Lagostina cookware (my early Christmas present to my favourite person - me). And it did not go well. I majorly underestimated how hot it would get and burned the crap out of it. But I bounced back and tried again. Though my clothes now permanently smell like burning. Great. 

Behind the magic, people.

Braised Pork Belly

Serves: 6 tacos                Prep Time: 1 hour                  Cook Time: 2 hours

1 lb pork belly
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chipotle chili powder
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp paprika

3 tbsp vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic
1 small shallot
1 tbsp annatto seeds
2 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp salt
1 cup chicken stock

Cabbage
Carrots
Salsa Verde
Corn tortillas
Lime juice
Salt

Prep the Meat

Cut the pork belly into strips about 2 cm wide and score the fatty side in a crosshatch pattern (don't cut into the meat, just the fat). Mix together the honey, cumin, chipotle, allspice and paprika with 1 tbsp of dark soy sauce. Coat the pork belly strips in this mixture and marinade for an hour.

Prep the Oil

Finely chop the garlic and shallot. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a sauté pan on medium. Add the garlic, shallots, annatto seeds and brown sugar and fry until golden brown (less than 5 minutes). Set aside in a small bowl.

Cook the Meat

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a sauté pan on medium-high. Place the pork belly strips in the oil, fatty side down. Fry on this side for 4 minutes and all remaining sides for about 1 minute each. Add the garlic/shallot oil, 3 tbsp soy sauce, salt and chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to simmer for 1.5 hours. Turn the meat intermittently.

Serve It

Remove the meat from the pan and pat with a paper towel. Cut into cubes if you want. Chop cabbage and toss with lime juice and salt. Dice carrots and combine with cabbage. Serve meat and cabbage mixture in a warm corn tortilla with salsa verde.