Grilled pork belly

BY: ANDREA ALDEN

My husband and I were recently at a grocery store with an unusual product selection. Where there is also a butcher and baker. In this shop they even had a meat aging cabinet. But that day it wasn't the ripening cabinet that caught my attention. No. It was more the large piece of pork belly that appealed to me. I could have smoked it into delicious bacon like I always do, but this time it had to be something different. We prepared grilled pork belly with maple and Chinese five-spice powder. A magical dish.

INGREDIENTS

• 500 g pork belly
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp white vinegar

Glaze/Sauce

• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3 tbsp sake (rice wine)
• Pinch of chili flakes

For rubbing in

• 2 tsp black pepper
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 3 tsp Chinese five spice powder

PREPARATION

1. Prepare the pork belly by using a sharp utensil, e.g. B. with the needle of the Napoleon marinade injector, the skin of the pork belly is pierced about a thousand times. Seriously, a thousand times, or at least close. Of course, you don't have to count the stitches, but there should be close to a thousand. Be careful to pierce the skin and not yourself. The skin should have plenty of punctures to allow the fat to drain out and form a crispy rind.
2. Mix the salt and baking soda on a small plate or in a small ramekin. Sprinkle the mixture on the skin and rub it in. This makes the pork belly nice and tender.
3. Refrigerate the pork belly, uncovered, for 8 to 24 hours, preferably in a well-ventilated area of ​​your refrigerator. The pork belly needs sufficient air supply, which is why there should be enough space around it.
4. Rinse the pork belly with water and pat dry. Then pour vinegar over the skin to neutralize the baking soda. If the vinegar forms a lot of bubbles, rinse the pork belly again with water. There should be no baking soda left behind. Pat the pork belly dry again.
5. We start cooking the pork belly at a low temperature and slowly. Preheat grill to 160°C to 180°C and prepare for indirect cooking. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and place a rack on top. This prevents the pork belly from lying in its own fat.
6. Mix sesame oil, maple syrup and sake in a pot and add a few tablespoons of liquid to another bowl. Then add the chili flakes to the mixture in the pot. Mix pepper, brown sugar, garlic and Chinese five-spice powder in another bowl. Brush all sides of the pork belly with the maple syrup mixture and then rub thoroughly with the brown sugar mixture.
7. Fry and roast the pork belly over indirect heat for about 90 minutes. Then it should go quickly. If available, set the rear burner to the highest level. The grill should reach 260°C. If you don't have a rear burner, simply light a second burner. Cook for another 15 to 30 minutes until the pork belly rind is nicely puffed and crispy. If using the back burner, keep an eye on the pork belly and turn it halfway through the cooking time to ensure it gets nice and crispy all over.
8. Shortly before the end of the cooking time of the pork belly, bring the pot with the maple syrup, sake and chili flakes to the boil and let it thicken.
9. Remove the pork belly from the grill as soon as it is cooked. Place on its side or with the rind side down and cut into half-centimeter thick slices. Arrange on a bed of rice, drizzle with the maple syrup sauce you made and garnish with spring onions and sesame seeds. A salad also goes perfectly with this dish.

This Grilled Pork Belly with Maple and Chinese Five-Spice Powder was rich; not recommended for every evening. The pork belly was amazing. Delicious. Incredible. I had never eaten rind before. Rind is the skin that has become crispy through frying. To be honest, I never had the desire to try rinds. But now that I've tried them, I'll eat this pork belly with rind again. Leave me a comment with your recipe ideas for the next pork belly recipe. I'm looking forward to your ideas.

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