Crispy Braised Pork Belly

Recipe courtesy of Chef Ryan Swarthout

Pork Belly

Ingredients:

Pork Belly

• 1 slab of unsmoked and uncured bacon (pork belly)
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 cup J. Lohr Tower Road Petite Sirah
• 4 cups beef stock

Pork Belly Sauce

• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
  
• 1 pinch chili flakes
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 cup braising liquid

Instructions:

Pork Belly

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat in a straight-side sauté pan. Season both sides of the pork belly with salt and black pepper. Brown pork belly about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove pork and set aside. Add the chopped onion, carrot, and celery to the pan and sauté until tender. Deglaze pan with the J. Lohr Petite Sirah and reduce by half. Return pork belly to pan and add the beef stock. Cover and cook in the oven for 3 hours until very tender.
2. Remove pork belly from pan, set aside and strain the braising liquid. Skim and discard any excess fat and reserve remaining liquid for sauce.

Pork Belly Sauce

1. In a saucepan, add all the ingredients for the sauce as well as the strained braising liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce sauce until thickened. Keep warm.

To Serve:

1. When the pork belly is cool enough to handle, cut into 6 equal portions. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a heavy skillet. Working in batches, add the pork belly to the hot pan and crisp on each side, about 5 minutes. Place the crispy pork belly on a serving platter and keep warm.
2. Place individual servings of pork on small plates and spoon sauce over the pork belly. Enjoy with a glass of J. Lohr Tower Road Petite Sirah!

Please visit J. Lohr’s Recipes page for additional recipes and pairing ideas.