Twice Cooked Pork Belly Sliders Recipes

Steps:

• For Pickled Carrots and Daikon: Place carrots, daikon and salt in a colander over the sink and mix together. Allow to sit for 1 hour, tossing together every 15 minutes to remove the natural water from the vegetables. Thoroughly rinse and place into a mixing bowl. Add red onion.
• Place sugar, vinegar and water in a small pot and bring to a simmer until sugar dissolves. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
• Pour sugar mixture over veggies and place in the refrigerator for an hour.
• For Pork Belly 1st cooking process: First rinse and dry the pork belly. Heat a dutch oven over high heat with a bit of oil in it. Give the pork belly a good sear on each side, at least 15 minute Remove from pot. Heat a bit more oil and then add shallot, ginger and garlic saute until brown. Carefully pour in cooking wine and soy sauce scraping up the bits on the bottom of pan. Add the pork belly back into pot, dump in the Chinese braising spice mix, cover with the water and set it on low and braise for 2-3 hours, checking after 1-2 hours to test how tender the pork is. The longer you cook the more tender it will be. Ideally, you want it to be fork tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Remove from pot and let rest, tented with foil. Slice about 1/2-inch thick pieces.
• 2nd Cooking process: Place basting glaze into a mixing bowl and whisk together. Add pork belly and toss together until well coated.
• Place 2 tablespoons oil into a grill pan and heat over medium-high heat. Sear the pork belly on each side for about 3-4 minutes. Glazing often. Remove from heat and set aside.
• To assemble: Open steamed bun and spread a bit of the mayo on the bottom. Place a couple pieces of pork belly into each bun and top with cucumber slices followed by a small amount of the pickled veggies.
• Enjoy!
• CHINESE BRAISING SPICE MIX:.
• 2 tablespoons of sugar.
• 4 whole star anise.
• 1 cinnamon stick.
• 1 tsp whole clove.
• 1 tsp whole peppercorns.
• 2 whole red chillies (optional, I like it a little spicy).
• 1/2 tsp white pepper.
• 1 tbs salt.

Steps:

• With a pestle and mortar, crush the coriander seeds with the star anise, then stir through the salt. Season the pork on both sides with the salt mix. Place the pork, skin side up, in an ovenproof dish that is just large enough to hold it. Scatter over the herbs, then leave overnight if you have time - see tip, below.
• Heat oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2. Empty the goose fat into a saucepan and heat until liquid and starting to simmer. Ladle the fat over the pork; add sunflower oil to cover if you need to. Cover the dish with foil, then cook the pork in the oven, undisturbed, for 3 hrs by which time it will be very tender.
• Remove the dish from the oven and leave it to settle for 10 mins. Meanwhile, line a tray with a piece of greaseproof paper. Carefully lift the pork from the fat and pick off any herbs. Lay it on the paper, skin side down. Cut another piece of paper and lay it over the pork. Cover with a tray, weighed down with a couple of cans, and leave in fridge overnight - see tip, below.
• When you are ready to cook the pork, heat oven to 220C/ fan 200C/ gas 7. Remove pork from the tray, then peel away paper. Lightly score the skin into neat diamonds with a sharp knife and trim the edges so you get a perfect rectangle.
• To cook the pork, heat a drizzle of oil in a large non-stick ovenproof pan. Lay the pork, skin side down, and leave for a few mins to crackle, then place the pan in the oven and cook for 20 mins. Remove from the oven and check to see that the skin has blistered, then carefully flip it over and cook the underside for 3 mins just to heat through. Lift to a board.
• While the pork is roasting, make the velouté. Heat the butter in a frying pan. Cook the onions and apples for 8-10 mins until soft, but not coloured. Pour in the stock and simmer for 8 mins until the apples start to collapse. Stir in the cream, then simmer everything for 2 mins more. Season with salt and pepper. Carefully tip into a blender, blitz until as smooth as possible, then tip into a saucepan so it's ready to be reheated.
• Boil the carrots for 2 mins in salted water, then drain well. Heat the olive oil, then fry the carrots with seasoning for 5 mins, tossing occasionally until starting to brown. Gently reheat the velouté. You're now ready to plate up.
• Use a sharp knife to carve the pork into long slices about 2cm thick. Lay 2 or 3 slices on each plate, slightly overlapping. Put 3 or 4 carrots on each plate, lying all in the same direction as the pork. Spoon a puddle of velouté over the end of the carrots. Garnish with a sprig of parsley.

Steps:

• Place pork, 6 scallions, ginger and salt in large pot. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until tender. Remove meat, and discard liquid. When pork has cooled, remove skin and any bones. Cut meat in half crosswise, then slice it thinly lengthwise.
• Slice remaining scallions lengthwise, then in 3-inch pieces.
• Heat oil in wok or skillet. When very hot, add pork and stir-fry until lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Pour off excess oil and fat. Add garlic and ginger, and stir-fry 10 seconds. Add scallions, and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add chili paste, rice wine, soy sauce, sugar and Sichuan pepper, and stir-fry another minute. Scatter with cilantro and serve.

Steps:

• The day before you want to eat, lay the pork belly skinned-side down, season generously, scatter over the fennel seeds and crumble over 3 of the bay leaves. From the widest side, roll into a tight log and use some butcher's string to tie at regular intervals. (You could take some fennel seeds and bay to your butcher and ask them to do it for you.)
• Heat oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3 1/2. Melt the butter in a large, shallow flameproof casserole dish or ovenproof sauté pan. Brown the pork all over (this will take a good 15 mins), then remove from the pan and add the vegetables and remaining bay leaves. Cook for about 10 mins until starting to colour. Nestle the pork among the veg. Pour over the cider and bring everything to a simmer, cover and cook in the oven for 2 hrs.
• When the pork is ready, leave to cool a bit, then remove the pork from the braise and chill. Strain the sauce into a jug and chill. Fish out the bay leaves and blitz the veg to a purée in a food processor. Tip into a bowl and chill.
• On the day, heat oven to 220C/ 200C fan/gas 8. Cut the pork into six rounds. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the pork, then put in the oven for 20 mins, turning halfway through, until crispy. Meanwhile, remove the solidified fat from the top of the braising juices, simmer until syrupy and reheat the purée. Serve everything in the middle of the table or smear some of the purée across plate, sit a piece of pork on top next to a burnt butter cabbage wedge, a piece of potato cake and some crackling (see 'Goes well with', right). Pour over some of the sauce and serve.