Brined And Roasted Pork Belly Recipes

ROASTED PORK BELLY

Steps:

• Combine paprika, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, and cayenne pepper in a bowl; rub onto the non-fat side of pork belly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Remove plastic wrap from pork belly and place pork belly, fat-side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Make shallow cuts into the fat of the pork belly in a checkered pattern. Rub lemon juice into the fat.
• Roast in the preheated oven until fat begins to brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue cooking until fat is crispy, about 1 hour more. Remove from oven and let rest 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

BRINED AND STUFFED PORK LOIN ROAST

Steps:

• Mix water, salt, and brown sugar in a saucepan, stirring to dissolve salt and sugar. Add bay leaves, rosemary, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and thyme; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer brine for 5 minutes. Let brine cool to room temperature.
• Place pork roast into a large nonreactive bowl, pour brine over pork, and cover; marinate in refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir apple and shallots into hot oil until shallots are soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool to room temperature, and mix spinach, walnuts, egg, and goat cheese into apple mixture. Season stuffing with salt and black pepper.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Remove pork from brine and discard used brine. Cut roast lengthwise down the center to within about 1 1/2 inches of the bottom and open the roast like a book. Spoon apple stuffing onto one side of meat and fold the other half over the stuffing. Tie the roast closed in 4 or 5 places with kitchen twine. Set roast on a rack placed into a roasting pan.
• Roast in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the stuffing reads 145 to 150 degrees F (63 degrees C to 65 degrees C), about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

BRINED-AND-BRAISED PORK BELLY WITH CARAWAY

Steps:

• Two days before serving the pork, prepare the brine: In a large skillet over low heat, toast the caraway seeds. Cool and grind in a spice grinder. In a large plastic container, combine the caraway, fennel, peppercorns, coriander, salt, brown sugar, garlic, cider vinegar and 4 cups water. Add the pork, cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• The next day, preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Remove the pork from the brine and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper. In a braising pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the pork and brown on all sides. Transfer to a plate. Add the carrot, celery, onion, garlic, thyme and 2 tablespoons toasted caraway seeds to the pan. Brown the vegetables until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Return the pork to the pan, skin side up. Pour in the apple cider and enough broth to cover the meat by three-fourths. Bring to a boil, then cover and braise in the oven until the pork is very tender, about 2 hours. Cool the pork in its cooking liquid and refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Scrape off and discard excess fat from the braising liquid. Remove the pork and discard loose gelatin. Cut the pork into serving pieces and place in a wide saute pan with a heatproof handle. Bring the braising liquid to a boil and reduce by about two-thirds, or until it lightly coats the back of a spoon; strain. Pour just enough liquid over the pork to submerge halfway. Sprinkle with the remaining caraway seeds, then place the pan in the oven and heat through, basting occasionally. Top pork with sauce and serve with braised cabbage, a recipe for which can be found at nytimes.com/magazine.

BRINED AND ROASTED PORK BELLY

Steps:

• Combine sugar, salt and spices in a large pot. Add 4 1/4 quarts water, and bring to a boil. Cool, then transfer to a large bowl and add pork. Let stand, loosely covered, for 3 days in refrigerator.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place onions in a roasting pan. Rinse pork, score skin with a sharp knife and place on onions. Rub skin with a bit of olive oil, and season lightly with sea salt. Roast, uncovered, 1 1/2 to 2 hours; do not let burn. Skin should be crisp; if not, transfer to hot broiler. Cut pork in thick slices, and serve with onions.

BRINED PORK ROAST

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
• Cool to room temperature.
• Immerse pork roast of your choice in the cooled brine mixture, and refrigerate for 12 hours or overnight (up to 24 hours) turning occasionally if necessary for even brining.
• Remove roast from brine, rinse, and pat dry with paper towels, and roast (on a rack or grill pan) according to your favorite recipe until a thermometer, inserted in the center of the roast, reads 155 degrees.
• Allow the roast to rest for 20 minutes before carving.
• (Roast may be coated with mustard, breadcrumbs or glaze of your choice before or during roasting, if desired.) NOTE: Smaller cuts of pork, such as pork tenderloins, may also be brined in this way- but should be immersed in the brine solution for proportionately less time, to avoid over-salting.