Pork Belly Cracklings Food

PORK BELLY CRACKLINGS

Steps:

• Using a utility knife, razor blade or sharp knife, score skin into 1 1/2-inch squares, then use score marks as guides to cut through meat and fat underneath, resulting in 1 1/2-inch cubes.
• Pour oil into a pot deep enough that top of oil is at least 6 inches from rim; place over medium-high heat. When oil reaches 225 degrees on a deep-fat frying thermometer, add pork cubes and immediately stir gently to prevent clumping. Cook pork until it is lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine spices in a small bowl.
• Reheat oil to 400 or 425 degrees and add pork again. Cook for another 3 to 5 minutes or until skin "cracks" or bubbles up. Remove cubes to a plate lined with fresh paper towels. After a minute put cracklings in a bowl, toss with spice mix and kosher salt, and serve.

CRACKLINS (DEEP-FRIED PORK BELLY)

Steps:

• Heat about 4 inches of oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Fry pork belly squares in batches until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
• Heat about 4 inches of oil in another large saucepan to 425 degrees F (218 degrees C).
• Fry pork belly squares in batches a second time until skin "pops," 30 seconds to 1 minute. Drain on fresh paper towels.

PORK BELLY CRACKLING

Steps:

• Combine brown sugar, chili powder, salt, allspice, fennel seed and pepper in a bowl.
• Score pork belly all over with a sharp knife, making a crisscross of lines 1/2 inch apart. (Do not cut past fat.)
• Carefully work the rub into both skin and meat sides and allow to cure 8 hours or up to 2 days in the fridge.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut pork belly into 3 equal pieces and place in a hotel pan or roasting tray. Cover with Veal Stock and add red wine, celery, carrot and onion. Cover with foil and bake until a knife inserts easily, about 3 1/2 hours. Allow pork belly to sit in the stock for 30 minutes to reabsorb juices. Remove to a clean tray with two metal spatulas. Cool to 70 degrees within 2 hours and 40 degrees within 4 hours.
• Bring oil to 350 degrees F in a deep-fryer. Cut pork into 1/2- to 3/4-inch cubes. Fry until crispy, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Toss in Star Anise Red Wine Reduction, then season with salt and pepper. Serve with extra Star Anise Red Wine Reduction on the side.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Combine bones, celery, carrots, onions and tomato paste in a roasting tray and roast, stirring twice to ensure aromatic vegetables and bones, until dark brown in color, about 1 hour.
• Transfer bones and vegetables to a very large stockpot. Place roasting tray on stove top over medium-high heat, add red wine to the tray and cook, scraping drippings from the bottom until completely dislodged. Pour the contents into the stockpot and cover with 20 quarts cold water.
• Place stockpot over low heat, add bay leaves and peppercorns and simmer for 24 hours, skimming the top regularly to remove impurities.
• Strain stock through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Cool to 70 degrees within 2 hours and 40 degrees within 4 hours.
• Add brown sugar, vinegar, star anise, orange zest and juice, cinnamon sticks and 3 cups water to a medium saucepot over medium heat. Simmer sauce until reduced by a third to a half, for 2 to 3 hours.
• Cool and set aside.

PORK AND CRACKLING

Steps:

• Lay out your pork on a board and rub some salt and 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary into the scored lines, trying to get this into every bit by pushing and rubbing in. In a pestle and mortar smash up the fennel seeds, then the garlic and remaining chopped rosemary, and rub this into the meat ? not the skin, or it will burn. Place in a large roasting tray with the balsamic vinegar, bay and olive oil. Leave for about 1/2 hour to marinate.
• Meanwhile, preheat your oven to its highest temperature and brown the bones. Rub the skin of the pork with lots of sea salt ? this will help puff it up and dry it out. Place the pork directly on the bars at the top of the oven. Finally add the browned bones and vegetables to the leftover balsamic marinade, add 570ml, 1 pint water and put into the oven directly under the pork. As the pork cooks all the goodness drips from it into the tray. This liquid will then become your gravy. You also get quite charred bar marks on the base of the pork.
• The pork will take about 1 hour to cook. After 20 minutes turn the temperature down to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Once the pork is cooked, remove it from the oven on the rack and place on a piece of foil to save any juices. Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes. Finish off any vegetables that you are going to serve with it and make a gravy out of the juices in the tray which was underneath the pork.
• Put the bones, the liquid and the vegetables into a large pan. Add some water to the tray that contained the bones and vegetables, as there will be some Marmite-like, sticky stuff on the bottom to the tray which is very tasty. Reboil the water, scrape off all the goodness from the bottom of the tray and then pour everything into the pan. Bring to the boil, shaking occasionally, remove any oil, grease or scum from the top, then pass the contents through a sieve, discarding all the vegetables and bones. You can reduce and then correct the seasoning, to taste.