PORK BELLY, THE CUT MOST COMMONLY CURED AND SMOKED to become bacon, has to be tenderized through cooking and so works beautifully as a braise. Even as bacon, a fully cooked product, we tenderize it by slicing it and thoroughly cooking it. Here it is braised simply in a little water (or pork stock if you have it, but this is not necessary) till the meat is completely tender and, most importantly, the skin is completely cooked.
I love pork belly for its deep unctuousness and, especially, for the pleasure of its skin. There’s nothing like crispy pork skin. It does take an extra step, but it’s worth it: the braised pork is cooked skin-side down over low heat to render out the fat and draw out the remaining water, and the skin becomes thin and crispy. It’s important to do this in a sauté pan on parchment paper; the skin is so sticky it can adhere even to nonstick surfaces. It can also be broiled till crispy if you prefer, though it’s harder to get a uniformly cooked surface this way. (Skin-on pork belly is often readily available in Asian markets or can be special ordered, or ordered online.)
Here I give pork belly a distinctive Asian preparation, flavoring it with char siu sauce, the hoisin-based sauce that pairs so beautifully with pork, and serving it in lettuce wraps as a starter course, canapé, or light meal. You can use a prepared Korean or Chinese barbecue sauce instead, but I urge you to try this delicious, sweet homemade sauce. If you can get your hands on authentic dark soy sauce, substitute that for 1 tablespoon of the regular soy sauce called for.
Kosher salt
1 (1½-pound/675-gram) slab of skin-on pork belly
1 cup/175 grams cooked jasmine or basmati rice
12 to 24 butter lettuce leaves or other lettuce appropriate for wrapping
½ cup/50 grams julienned carrot (1 medium carrot)
6 red radishes, julienned
3 or 4 scallions, thinly sliced on a bias
¼ cup/60 milliliters sriracha sauce
¼ cup/60 milliliters hoisin sauce
¼ cup/60 milliliters soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons dry white wine
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, smashed with the flat side of a knife and then minced
¾ teaspoon five-spice powder
MAKES 12 WRAPS (SERVES 4 FOR A STARTER COURSE)
• SALT the pork on all sides, ideally at least 30 minutes (and up to 5 days) before cooking it.
• PREHEAT your oven to 300°F/150°C.
• PLACE the pork in a vessel where it will fit snugly. Feel free to CUT the pork in half crosswise so that it fits better (it will also be easier to finish when halved). ADD enough water to come halfway up the sides of the pork. COVER and BRAISE in the oven until the belly is completely tender, about 3 hours. The skin should be soft enough that you could poke a finger through it.
• The dish can be finished immediately, or you can SET aside the pork to cool while you prepare the rest of the dish—or even REFRIGERATE it for up to 4 days before finishing.
• COMBINE all of the ingredients in a bowl and WHISK to combine. Note: Any leftover sauce can be refrigerated for a week or frozen for several months and then used for a meat or vegetable stir-fry.
• PLACE a piece of parchment paper in a heavy-duty skillet over medium heat and PUT the pork belly, skin-side down, on the parchment. ALLOW it to cook for 30 minutes or so, pressing down on it every now and then to squeeze out fat and water. CHECK that it’s not sticking to the parchment; gently PEEL it off if it is. (You can also PUT the pork under a broiler and BROIL till the skin is crisp.) When the pork skin is browned and crispy, REMOVE it to a cutting board, skin-side down.
• TURN on your broiler (if it isn’t already on). LINE a baking tray with parchment paper or foil.
• CUT the pork belly into 12 slices, each about 2 inches/5 centimeters long by ½ inch/12 millimeters thick; be sure to CUT definitively through the skin but work carefully, as the belly will be very tender, almost shreddable (don’t worry if some of the meat shreds; it’s all delicious). PUT the slices in the char siu sauce and TOSS to coat; then, LAY them out on the lined baking tray. Or, if you feel they’re too delicate, LAY them directly on the lined tray and then SPOON the sauce over them, FLIP them, and liberally COAT the other side.
• BROIL the slices for a few minutes and then BASTE with more sauce, FLIP them, BASTE the other side, and broil again until the sauce is bubbling hot, a few more minutes, depending on the strength of your broiler. The more you baste, the more flavorful the pork will be.
• SET out the rice, lettuce, carrots, radish, scallions, and sriracha. When the pork is finished, MAKE the wraps: PUT a spoonful of rice in a lettuce leaf, followed by the char siu pork belly, carrots, radish, scallions, and a dollop of sriracha. If some of the lettuce leaves are small, you may need to double up for each wrap.