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From Chef Nina Compton

Pork Belly

 Recipe Serves: 4

A note from Chef Compton:

Anything worth having makes you wait. Well, this sumptuous pork belly takes some leg work, but I guarantee your efforts will pay off. Plan ahead for this meal by marinating the pork belly for at least 6 hours, and make sure you baste the meat regularly while it's cooking.

Pork Belly Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds of pork belly, skin off
  • 2 tablespoons of juniper berries
  • 1 tablespoon of black peppercorns
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
  • 1 bunch, plus 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
  • 1 celery root, peeled, large dice
  • 2 carrots, peeled, large dice
  • 1 bunch of rosemary
  • 20 ounces of hot water
  • 10 ounces of ice
  • 5 ounces of kosher salt
  • 1 ounce of sugar

Roasted Apples Ingredients:

  • 4 Fuji apples, peeled, cored and large dice
  • 3 tablespoons of butter
  • 2 sprigs of rosemary
  • 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons of sherry vinegar
  • Celery leaf for garnish

Pork belly Instructions:

  1. Dissolve salt and sugar in hot water and add ice to cool down and dilute. Cover pork belly and allow to marinate in the fridge for 6 to 8 hours.
  2. While pork belly is marinating, create spice rub by toasting juniper berries and black peppercorns. Grind with garlic and 1 teaspoon thyme in spice grinder and fold in brown sugar.
  3. Separately, season carrots and celery root with olive oil and salt. Put aside.
  4. After pork belly has marinated, rub spice mix on the fat cap of the pork belly and roast in oven on a roasting rack at 300°F, basting with thyme and rosemary bunches every 30 minutes until tender. About 2.5 hours.
  5. During the last part of roasting, put carrots and celery root in oven for 20 minutes with pork belly – until veggies are tender but not mushy.

Roasted APples Instructions:

  1. Get your favorite cast iron pan smoking hot and add apples into the pan dry. They will begin to smoke and burn, just rotate them to caramelize on all sides.
  2. Add butter, which should begin to brown quickly, season with salt and fresh cracked black pepper and add rosemary in the bottom of the pan. Make sure it is in butter which will allow it to perfume the butter and season the apples.
  3. Add carrots and celery root, toss to combine and finish with sherry vinegar and balsamic vinegar, then transfer to serving platter.

To Serve:

Slice pork belly and plate over apple and vegetable mix. Garnish with celery leaf.

Meat & Poultry