Chef Joe Garcia shares his recipe for kolsch-braised pork belly complete with a fresh herb dry rub made of mustard, lemon zest, rosemary, garlic and red pepper.
Ingredients
Dry Rub
- 2 Tbsp kosher salt
- 2 Tbsp dry mustard powder
- 2 Tbsp mustard seeds
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 lemon, zested
- 2 sprigs rosemary, picked and finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed and finely chopped
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 pounds fresh pork belly, skin removed
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, julienned
- 2 ribs celery, sliced on the bias
- 1/2 fennel bulb, tough middle discarded and remaining bulb julienned
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed and finely chopped
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt
- 2 cups Kolsch
- 1/4 cup whole-grain mustard
- 2 to 3 cups chicken stock
- Thyme bundle
- 3 to 4 bay leaves
Directions
- Dry Rub
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Massage the rub all over the pork belly, then cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Pork Belly
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Remove the belly from the refrigerator. Coat a large straight-sided pan with olive oil and put over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, fennel, and garlic.
- Season the vegetables with crushed red pepper and salt, to taste. Cook the vegetables until they start to soften and become very aromatic, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the kolsch and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the mustard and 2 cups of the chicken stock.
- Taste to make sure it is delicious. Add the pork belly and toss in the thyme and bay leaves. Cover and put in the preheated oven. Braise the belly for 6 hours, checking occasionally. If the liquid level goes down add the remaining stock.
- When the belly is done, it will be very tender and succulent. Remove the lid and set the oven to broil. Broil the pork belly until it turns golden, about 3 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the belly, from the braising liquid, to a cutting board. Allow the pork belly to cool completely before cutting.
