WOOD-POACHED PORK BELLY WITH BEANS AND RICE
Serves 6
I love pork belly and this dish revels in its flavor. We take wood, which is normally used to fuel a fire to cook the meat, and instead seal a combination of normal and charred wood chips in the sous vide bag with the meat. (I char the wood chips on a sheet pan set on the range using a butane torch.) The pork belly takes on a new dimension of flavor after slow cooking with the seasonings and wood chips. The scarlet runner beans are cooked until they are tender. Some are served with the meat and some are pureed and combined with onion jam and crème anglaise to make an ice cream. I fry up a little wild rice for its earthy flavor and crunchy texture and serve it with this crazy variation on the classic combination of pork and beans. It’s a delicious and unexpected culinary experience.
PORK BELLY:
100 grams salt
50 grams sugar
13 grams thyme leaves
7 grams garlic powder
7 grams chili powder
400 grams pork belly
25 grams burnt wood chips
25 grams raw wood chips
SCARLET RUNNER BEANS:
150 grams scarlet runner beans
1000 grams water
50 grams pork belly scraps
50 grams ham hocks
600 grams vegetable stock
Salt for seasoning
ONION JAM:
400 grams onions
10 grams vegetable oil
2 grams salt
15 grams balsamic vinegar
SCARLET RUNNER BEAN PUREE:
50 grams bacon
600 grams cooked Scarlet Runner Beans
500 grams vegetable stock
50 grams Onion Jam
SCARLET RUNNER BEAN ICE CREAM:
450 grams heavy cream
55 grams sugar
2.5 grams salt
100 grams (about 6 large) egg yolks
200 grams Scarlet Runner Bean Puree
PUFFED RICE:
Canola oil for frying
75 grams wild rice
TO FINISH:
1 gram microgreens
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
Butane torch
Sous vide circulator
Vacuum sealer
Pacojet (see Sources, here) or ice cream maker
PORK BELLY:
To make the cure, put the salt, sugar, thyme, garlic powder, and chili powder in a bowl and whisk well to blend.
Cut the pork belly into 2 portions of about 200 grams each. Put a layer of the cure mixture in a deep baking dish, just large enough to hold the pork belly, add the pork, and spread the remaining cure evenly over and around the pork belly. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat a circulating water bath to 180°F.
Rinse the cure off the belly and put each portion in an individual vacuum bag. Divide the 2 kinds of wood chips evenly between the 2 bags and seal them on the highest setting. Cook in the water bath for 8 hours, until completely tender.
Remove the bags from the water bath and allow to cool to room temperature, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove the pork belly pieces from their bags and shred the meat with your fingers, but do not discard the bags. Put the shredded meat in a medium saucepan, strain 100 grams of rendered pork fat from the bags back over the meat, and cover with plastic wrap, reserving any scraps of pork. The Pork Belly may keep, covered and refrigerated until ready to use, up to 3 days.
SCARLET RUNNER BEANS:
Put the beans in a large lidded container. Add the water, cover, and soak for 24 hours in the refrigerator.
Strain the beans through a colander, discarding the water. Put any reserved pork scraps in a large saucepot set over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. The scraps will begin to render their fat and turn golden brown. Add the ham hocks, beans, vegetable stock, and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the beans are tender. Remove from the heat and strain the beans, discarding the pork belly and ham hocks and reserving the beans and liquid separately. The beans and their liquid may be stored in covered containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
ONION JAM:
While the beans are cooking, peel the onion, remove the root, and slice into ¼-inch-thick slices. Put the onion slices in a medium saucepot with the oil and set over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring often, until the onions begin to break down and caramelize, about 1 hour. Season with the salt and add the balsamic vinegar, stirring well with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to deglaze the pan. Transfer the Onion Jam to a bowl to cool.
SCARLET RUNNER BEAN PUREE:
Cut the bacon into matchsticks and put in a large sauté pan set over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon begins to render its fat and turn golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to cool. Then put the bacon bits and 25 grams of the bacon fat in a blender with 600 grams of the Scarlet Runner Beans, the vegetable stock, and the Onion Jam. Puree on high for 1 minute, until completely smooth. Reserve for the Scarlet Runner Bean Ice Cream base.
SCARLET RUNNER BEAN ICE CREAM:
Before making the crème anglaise, prepare an ice bath. Put the cream, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepot set over medium-low heat, stir well to dissolve the sugar, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Put the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Once the cream mixture comes to a simmer, whisk the egg yolks in their bowl. Working with a little bit at a time, and whisking constantly, pour the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks until about half of the hot liquid has been added and the yolks are warm. Return the pot of cream to the stove over medium-low heat and pour the warm yolks into the hot cream, whisking constantly. Cook the mixture, still whisking all the while, until the temperature reaches 175°F. Strain the mixture into a stainless-steel bowl and set it in the ice bath, stirring to quickly chill the crème anglaise.
Put 200 grams of the Scarlet Runner Bean Puree and 300 grams of the crème anglaise in a blender and mix on low until just combined, about 15 seconds. Transfer to a Pacojet container and freeze overnight. The next day, run a full cycle of the Pacojet to churn the ice cream, and keep it chilled in your freezer until ready to serve. Alternatively, freeze the mixture in an ice cream machine following the manufacturer’s directions, and allow 3 to 4 hours before serving to allow the ice cream to harden. Pull the ice cream from the freezer about 10 minutes before serving to soften slightly.
PUFFED RICE:
Preheat a deep fat fryer or pot of oil on the stove to 400°F.
Line a sheet pan with paper towels and place beside the hot oil. Use a tea strainer to lower 20 grams of wild rice into the oil and fry for 30 seconds, or until the grains double in size. Scoop out the puffed rice, transfer it to the prepared sheet pan, and season with salt. Repeat with the remaining wild rice until it has all been fried. Once the Puffed Rice is completely cool it can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature until you are ready to serve it, up to 3 days.
TO FINISH:
Put 40 grams of shredded Pork Belly on each plate. Add 20 grams of Scarlet Runner Beans to the plate and drizzle with cooking liquid from the beans. Distribute 10 grams of Puffed Rice around the plate. Place one scoop of Scarlet Runner Bean Ice Cream on the plate. Garnish with microgreens and serve immediately.
