The Real Bacon Explosion!

February 26, 11:52 PMBoston Cooking ExaminerErik Wunderlich

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Photo courtesy of Erik Wunderlich

In the paean of foods which deserve worship, for me there is one which stands alone: pork. There are countless books written about the versatility of pork, ad campaigns devoted to it (though for me, "the other white meat" is a poor choice, as it is culinarily superior to poultry in terms of versatility and health, you don’t see pork testing as 90% contaminated by salmonella), and whole cookbooks devoted to the many different ways of cooking this wondrous creature.

I am sure that this will not win me many friends in the vegetarian community (of which I was a member for many years) but if you were to depend on just one animal for sustenance, you could hardly do worse than the wonderful, versatile, and tasty pig. Prized for its sturdiness and hardiness, the pig is the cornerstone to many a fine cuisine the world over. Chinese, Spanish, French and Italian cuisines all owe a debt of gratitude to the pig, and hold the mighty pig in a place of pride, with the caviar, champagne, foie gras, bitter melon, lobster and truffle right next to the Jamon Belotta, Proscuitto de Parma, Chorizo, Poitrine, most charcuterie products, and everything good and right about the famed "Red Cooked Pork" of Shanghai (see Recipe).

I love the pig for all of its parts from the hoof to the tail to the ear, and have learned many ways to cook pork over the years, but the one which keeps calling me back is a recipe/technique involving many steps and seemingly complex ingredients that brings me back to the table over and over again.

This is a recipe that I dedicate to my friends who have shared my table in the past and future, the lovers of pork, and the willing guinea pigs who have helped me develop as a cook. This takes the technique of braising and raises it to an art form. Be sure to follow all the steps, as each one creates the foundation for the next.

You will need:

12 oz pork belly (uncured, can be found at most "ethnic markets" for cheap, or premium butcher shops for expensive) cut into four pieces

3 cloves garlic minced

1 onion

1 oz butter, or some bacon or pork fat to cook with

1 cup water

½ cup red wine suitable to drink

½ red bell pepper

2 shallots minced

6 tbl Sriracha hot sauce (this is a brand name hot sauce, it is very unique and adds a lot of vibrancy to this dish, you should get some...)

½ cup Soy sauce

1/4 cup Double black soy sauce (or mushroom soy)

8-10 oz chicken stock or broth (low sodium or house made)

8oz button mushrooms sliced thinly

salt and black pepper

green onion, chive, or garlic tops thinly sliced for garnish

1/4 tsp ground cumin, cayenne pepper, pimenton (spanish hot paprika)

one saute pan large enough to take all of the meat at once (med or larger size), oven preheated to 350*, large oven-proof pot with lid.

 Directions: (this recipe involves multiple pans and timing, so the bold directions at the end of the step are to designate which implement the step involves)

In the large pot, melt the butter or pork fat, saute the onion, shallot, garlic together. (Pot)

Cook over med-high heat until everything begins to caramelize, then reduce heat to low, continue stirring, and caramelize very well (this will take some time). (Pot)

Once everything is well caramelized, add the mushrooms and stir well, place the top on the pot, and raise the heat to medium to cook. (Pot)

Check from time to time, meanwhile heat your saute pan over med-high heat. (Pan)

Once the mushrooms have purged their liquid, remove the lid and stir well. (Pot)

Dry the pork belly on paper towels until very dry. (Pan)

Once there is some color on the mushrooms and they have begun to shrivel, deglaze the pan with the red wine (be careful to do this off the flame, as the alcohol will flame immediately and singe you...).(Pot)

Once the pan is very hot, season the pork with salt on all sides, lay gently in the pan skin side down.(Pan)

Return the pot to high heat, add the soy sauces, sriracha, bell pepper, and water to the pot. (Pot)

While the pork cooks, check the browning of the meat, once it is like mahogany, you need to turn it to the next side. You will need to brown all four sides.(Pan)

Check the seasonings of the braising liquid, it should be very spicy, salty and delicious, once it boils, it is finished.(Pot)

Once all sides of the pork belly are dark, gently add them to the braising liquid (the liquid should come up about 3/4 the height of the tallest piece of meat), put the top on the pot, and place in the oven for three and a half hours.(Pot)

During this time, you will want to be turning the meat once in a while, to make it tender and delicious. (Pot)

With one hour to go, strain off the liquid, reserving the veggies, and place in a container to cool quickly. Replace with the chicken stock, and place in the oven (veggies included).(Pot)

Once the liquid is cool, strain off the fat and return to a different pan to use as sauce if you wish (if you reduce it by more than half, it will be extremely salty, but good).

Once the time is up, the meat will be tender and delicious. It is now ready to eat, but for its best presentation, I usually cool it in the braising liquid, serve it with rice the next day (after all of the flavors have come together and mellowed). (Pot)

To serve, remove the pork from the liquid, dry off the meat and sear in a hot pan to make the skin extremely crispy. It can be sliced or served whole as it is. Serve over a bed of plain rice with the concentrated braising liquid as a sauce and a simple garnish of herbs.

This is an extremely elegant and economical dish which has many elements, each of which add to the finished product, but come together to form a harmonious composition of deliciousness.

Cheers,

Erik