Mountain Standard’s Braised Pork Belly Recipe

December 21st, 2012 • BY Erinn Morgan

The brainchild of the owners of Vail’s iconic and award-winning Sweet Basil restaurant, the decidedly more casual Mountain Standard (lunch, $12-$20; dinner entrees, $18-$35) opened this week to much fanfare. Hearty fare is the focus of this new local outpost, which channels a rustic, tavern feel. The menu centers around wood-burning grill and rotisserie cooking, bold and honest flavors, and the “purest ingredients in the Rocky Mountains and beyond.” Specialties include apple-wood grilled steaks, fish and vegetables. One of the signature dishes Chef de Cuisine Brian Brouillard serves is a rotisserie chicken with creamy wild rice, coal roasted root vegetables, and lemon herb gravy. Yum.

Mountain Standard shared this hot-off-the-press recipe with us here at WomensMovement.com for their mouth-watering Braised Pork Belly. This is a whopper of a recipe, and it’s definitely a meat-lovers type of dish, but no doubt the reward for your effort will be in the oohs and ahhs that will waft across your holiday table. Or, you could just drive or fly to Vail, which might take about the same amount of time, and you’d get in a few powder runs before dinner.

Word to the wise: This recipe suggests brining the pork belly for two to three days and it also calls for a smoker. Happy Holidays and Bon Appetit!

Maple/Whiskey Braised Pork Belly

Executive Chef Paul Anders

½ Pork Belly, about 5 lbs.

Pork Belly Brine

1 gal          water

2 C.           brown sugar, lightly packed

2 C.           kosher salt

1/4 C.       pink salt

½ T.         black peppercorns

1 T.            coriander seed

10 ea         cloves

3 ea           star anise pods

½ T.         juniper berries

4 ea           fresh bay leaves

Combine all ingredients and bring slowly to a simmer. Turn off the heat and allow the brine to cool to room temperature. In a non-reactive container, pour the brine over the pork belly. Brine the pork belly for 2-3 days depending on the thickness of the pork belly. Remove the belly from the brine and rinse under cool water. Pat the belly dry with a towel and allow to stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

Pork belly Braise:

Prepare smoker by soaking a good handful of wood chips in water for 30 minutes. Place the soaked wood chips in the smoker of your choice and get a rolling smoke going. You want to cold smoke the belly, no cooking. (This step may be omitted and just proceed to the braising process.) Cold smoke the belly for 45 minutes over heavy smoke. Remove the belly from the smoker and prepare to braise.

Heat a large, heavy bottomed pot over high heat. Once the pot is very hot, sear the belly with the skin side down. Continue to sear the belly until the skin/fat is golden brown. Remove ¾ of the rendered fat from the pan and remove the belly, set aside. Add the vegetables and cook until lightly caramelized:

1 ea            onions, rough chopped

1 ea            carrots, rough chopped

4 stalks     celery, rough chopped

½ T.         peppercorns

3 ea           star anise pods

4 ea           cloves

½ T.         juniper berries

1/8 oz.      fresh thyme branches

Pull the pot off the heat and allow the pot to cool slightly. This will prevent the whiskey from catching fire. After 2-3 minutes add 1 C. whiskey of your choice (preferably bourbon for the sweetness). Place the pot back on the stove over medium heat and add 3/4 C. maple syrup and bring the liquids to a simmer, return the belly and add about 2 Qt. chicken stock or enough chicken stock to cover the belly 2/3 of the way and return the liquids to a simmer. Cover the pot with aluminum foil and braise in the oven at 275 degrees for 4-5 hours, or until very tender. Once the belly is done, allow it to cool in the braising liquid. Once the belly is completely cool, you can cut it into portion sizes of your liking, we typically cut it into 3 oz. square blocks.

For final presentation: Prepare a heavy bottomed skillet over high heat. Also, pre-heat an oven to 400 degrees. Once the pan is hot add the blocks of pork belly and sear on all sides until golden brown and slightly crisp. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook the belly until soft, tender and hot, about 5-6 minutes. Remove the belly from the oven a brush liberally with the soy molasses.

Tamari Soy Molasses

Yields 3 C. of finished sauce

Dashi Stock:

2 Qt.       vegetable stock

2 oz         kombu seaweed

Bring slowly to a simmer, simmer for 15 minutes, turn off heat and add:

50 g.        bonito flake, once bonito flake sinks into the stock, immediately strain through a chinois

Sauce:

2 C.         tamari soy

2 C.         sugar

2 C.         mirin (sweet cooking sake)

2 C.         dashi stock, see above recipe, can be replaced with a low sodium chicken stock or vegetable stock

2 oz         ginger, wash, shave very thin on mandolin

Place all ingredients in a sauce pot, bring the liquid to a simmer, simmer and reduce the liquid until very thick, keep a careful eye on the sauce, brushing down the sides and not letting it reduce too far IT WILL BURN and over caramelize and become bitter.

Once thick add: 4 oz. warm water, 4 T. sugar and bring back to a simmer to dissolve sugar, strain through a fine mesh strainer. Allow the sauce to cool at room temperature for 1 hour, skim any foam that may be present on top of the molasses.

Final Presentation/Platting of the Dish:

4ea           3 oz. pork belly blocks, follow finishing procedure above

Tamari Soy Molasses, recipe above

1                jalapeno, shaved into rings as thin as possible

1/4 C.       cashews, toasted, salted and lightly chopped

½              fresh pineapple

Remove the core from the pineapple and slice lengthwise into ½ thick pieces. Caramelize or grill the pineapple until lightly charred and golden brown. Brush the plate, using a pastry brush, liberally with the soy molasses. Next, cut the pineapple into large chunks and place over the soy molasses. Slice each pork belly block into three slices and place over the pineapple. Brush the belly again with the soy molasses. For garnish top the dish with shaved jalapeno as you wish and sprinkle with the toasted and crushed cashews.

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