Crispy Pork Belly Bao Buns with Pickled Cucumbers

Crispy Pork Belly Bao Buns with Pickled Cucumbers

adapted from Bon Appetit

The pork can be cooked 2 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Reheat before serving.

Bao buns are available in Asian grocers. No bao buns? No problem! Serve in lettuce cups.

Makes 3 servings

1 12-ounce piece skin-on pork belly
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp.Truvia brown sugar blend™, divided

4 chiles de árbol
2 star anise pods
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 Persian or kirby cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 scallions, thinly sliced
½ red chile (such as Fresno or jalapeño), thinly sliced
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)
3 Tbsp.white miso
6 Bao buns
1/4 bunch mint
1/4 cup kimchi

1. Diagonally score fat side of pork belly, cutting through fat but stopping at flesh and spacing about ¼" apart. 
2. Season pork with salt and pepper and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. brown sugar; Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let sit at least 2 hours, or chill up to 2 days.
3. Preheat oven to 400°. 
4. Unwrap pork and place in the smallest baking dish you have available. 
5. Add chiles de árbol, star anise, soy sauce, remaining 1 Tbsp. brown sugar, and 1¼ cups water. 
6. Roast until most of fat has rendered, meat is tender, and top is browned and crisp, 2–2½ hours.
7. Meanwhile, toss cucumbers, scallions, red chile, and vinegar in a small bowl to combine. 
8. Mix gochujang and miso in another small bowl.
9. Steam the bao buns for 10 minutes.
10. Transfer pork to a cutting board; let rest 10 minutes. 
11. Pour off pan juices into a measuring glass. Skim fat from surface.
12. Slice pork into ½" slices, transfer to a platter, and pour pan juices over. 
13. Meanwhile steam the bao buns for 10 minutes or until heated through; Cut  open the bao bun but not completely through.
14. Serve the pork in the bao buns with the cucumber salad, mint, kimchi , and gochujang-miso mixture for topping.

Enjoy!

Pork Belly Sandwiches ...... It tastes like bacon ... really!

OK .... I will admit this one is a little out there even for me. When we were in Phili last weekend, we stopped at Whole Foods on the way home. When I saw pork belly at the butcher counter, I had a flashback to one of the last ACPOC meetings I attended. My cohorts went off skiing and I went off eating.
Cooking pork belly is not a quick process which is why I broke it up into a couple of days. First roasting and then frying another day.
The original recipe called for making Asian steamed buns. Warren and I have tried them in restaurants and are not a big fan so I picked up small Portuguese roll at the store.
This recipes was adapted from http://www.steamykitchen.com/22252-pork-belly-buns-recipe.html

Pork Belly Sandwiches with Chili Sauce and Kimchi
Servings: Makes 6 mini sandwiches 

1 lb. slab pork belly 

Cooking Spray
1 1/2 cloves garlic, finely minced
11/2 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
1/2 fresh chili pepper, minced
1/2 green onion, chopped
2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp Asian fish sauce
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/4 cup water

Small Portuguese rolls

For the chili sauce
1/2 green onion, minced
1/2 fresh chili, sliced very thinly
1/2 tsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
King's Kimchi... available in the produce section

Wrap the pork belly in 2 layers layers of foil. Place on baking sheet and roast in a preheated 275F oven for 2 hours. Remove from oven and let cool before refrigerating. I completed this part 2 days ahead but one the belly is completely chilled you can proceed.... approximately 2 hours.
Prepare the saute sauce.
In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, rice vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce and water.

Prepare the chili sauce for topping. Combine all ingredients and set aside.
 
Coat a large saute pan and place over high heat. When hot, add pork belly slices to the pan but do not overlap. Cook in batches if needed. Fry each side until browned. Remove to paper towel lined plate. Repeat with remaining pieces.
Turn the heat to medium-low. Add in the garlic, ginger, chiles  and green onion. Saute for 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour in the saute sauce into the pan.Return the pork belly slices back into the pan and let simmer for 10 minutes or until heated through.

Serve pork belly on a bun top with the chili sauce and kimchi.