The recipe for the sriracha pork belly in this sandwich comes from my friend Josh Smith. His use of the pork belly is virtuosic, and he’s inspired me to take it as seriously as he does. The savory spice of sriracha just matches so beautifully with the sweet unctuousness of the pork belly. You can find hoisin sauce in the Asian section of most well-stocked supermarkets, Asian markets, or on the Internet. I use sweet Corsicana pickles from Texas, but any bread-and-butter chip will do.
SERVES: 1
1 tablespoon canola oil
½ teaspoon butter
Steamed bun (see recipe here)
3 slices (about 3 ounces total) sriracha pork belly (see here)
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
Sriracha, for garnish
Scallion oil (see here), for garnish
3–4 slices sweet pickles, for garnish
Cilantro leaves, for garnish
In a nonstick pan over medium-high heat, warm the canola oil. Spread butter over one side of the bun, and put it buttered-side down in the pan. Cook until golden brown, a little darker than a hamburger bun, almost burned. Cook the other side until the same golden brown color. Set it aside on a paper towel.
Season the pork belly with the salt and pepper. Wipe out the pan and raise the heat to high. Place the pork belly in the pan and immediately turn the heat down to medium. You want to warm the meat and get it a little crispy and caramelized, like bacon, and render some of the fat. Flip the pork belly and cook the other side.
Take ½ tablespoon of the hoisin sauce and make a small circle in the middle of a dinner plate. Place the bun on top of the circle of hoisin. Spread the top of the bun with the remaining ½ tablespoon hoisin. Place the warm pork belly on the bun.
Make 5 or 6 dots of sriracha around the edges of the plate. With a spoon, drizzle the scallion oil over the plate.
Top the pork belly with the pickle slices and garnish with a sprig of cilantro.
1 bunch scallions, roots trimmed and dark green parts removed
¼ cup 75/25 canola/olive oil blend (see here)
Coarsely chop the scallions. Place the scallions and oil in a blender and blend on high until you have a smooth purée.
Use immediately or store.
If you have leftover buns, they can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 3–4 days.
YIELD: 12 BUNS
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dry yeast
1½ cups warm water
4½ cups bread flour, plus additional for dusting
3 ounces sugar
3 tablespoons instant nonfat dry milk powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
⅓ cup bacon fat or vegetable shortening
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the yeast and water. Add the bread flour, sugar, milk powder, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and bacon fat or shortening. Turn the mixer on low and mix until the ingredients form a ball.
Oil a large bowl and turn the dough into the bowl. Cover and put in a warm, draft-free place until the dough doubles in size, about an hour.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and roll out (it doesn’t matter what shape) to ½ inch thick. Let the dough rest, covered, for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Bring a kettle of water to a boil.
Using a 3½- or 4-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut circles from the dough.
In a rimmed baking sheet, place a wire rack big enough to fit inside the pan. Lightly oil the rack. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come just below the rack.
Place the buns in a single layer on the rack and cover the pan with foil. Carefully place the pan in the oven and steam for 3–4 minutes.