Candied Pork Recipes

CANDIED PORK SHOULDER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 275°.(I did 250) In a small bowl, whisk together the smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, cayenne, salt and black pepper. Rub the mixture all over the pork shoulder and set aside for 30 minutes.
• Set the pork onto a rack-lined roasting pan and place in the oven. Cook until the flesh is fork tender and the bone moves around easily with no resistance, about 5 hours (I cooked 8 hours).
• When the pork has about 15 minutes cooking time left, make the glaze: In a medium saucepot set over medium heat, bring the brown sugar and bourbon to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced by one-quarter, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Remove the pork from the oven and brush one-third of the glaze all over the shoulder. Continue to roast for 30 minutes longer, glazing the roast every 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest for 15 minutes before breaking the meat apart into big pieces. (I chopped mine) Serve.
• I also made another reduction of some light brown sugar with just enough water to fully melt the sugar. I let it reduce some then added more bourbon. I poured this over the chopped pork as a BBQ type sauce.

CANDY PORK

Steps:

• Put the palm sugar in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until the sugar melts, about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently so the sugar doesn't scorch. When the sugar is smooth and completely melted, remove the pan from the heat and slowly stir in the fish sauce. The mixture may seize; if it does, return it to low heat and continue stirring until smooth.
• Preheat the oven to 300°F. In a large Dutch oven over high heat, heat the canola oil. Season the pork pieces on all sides with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, add some of the pieces of pork and sear until well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and repeat with the remaining pork. When all the pork has been browned, reduce the heat to medium and add the shallots. Cook, stirring, until the shallots are softened, about 2 minutes, then add the ginger, garlic, and chilies and cook 1 minute more. Return the pork and any accumulated juices to the pot and add the caramel sauce and coconut water. The pieces of meat should poke up above the level of the liquid; if they're completely submerged, transfer the meat and liquid to a different pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so the liquid is simmering. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven.
• After 15 minutes of cooking, uncover the pot; the liquid should be simmering gently. If it's bubbling too vigorously, reduce the oven temperature to 275°F. Cook for 70 minutes-the meat should be tender but not falling apart. Uncover the pot and continue cooking for 30 minutes more, until the exposed bits of pork are caramelized and the meat is tender. Remove from the oven and serve with steamed rice.

CHEF JOHN'S CARAMEL PORK BELLY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).
• Lay a large sheet of aluminum foil on a flat work surface. Lay 1/2 the green parts of the green onions down in the center of the foil. Place pork belly, fattiest-side down, on top of the green onions and top pork belly with remaining 1/2 the green parts of the green onions; sprinkle with salt. Fold aluminum foil tightly around pork and green onions. Wrap pork belly again in another sheet of aluminum foil. Place wrapped pork, seam-side up, in a loaf pan.
• Cook pork belly in preheated oven for 5 1/2 hours. Turn off the oven heat and let cool in the oven for 2 hours. Remove from oven and chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours to overnight.
• Remove pork from foil and discard green onions. Cut pork into 8 pieces.
• Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp all over, 2 to 4 minutes per side.
• Whisk brown sugar, rice vinegar, fish sauce, ginger juice, and soy sauce together in a bowl.
• Remove most of the fat from the skillet and discard. Add 1 tablespoon of the brown sugar glaze and increase heat to medium-high. Cook until pork is glazed on all sides and pieces are caramelized, about 10 minutes. Make a well in the center of the skillet and add chopped white parts of the green onion, garlic, and peppers. Saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Pour water and remaining brown sugar glaze into skillet; simmer until sauce thickens, 3 to 5 minutes.