BRAISED PORK BELLY CARAWAY SAUERKRAUT & POTATOES

BRAISED PORK BELLY CARAWAY SAUERKRAUT & POTATOES image

Categories Pork

Yield 6 people

Number Of Ingredients 16

Ingredients

4 lb fresh pork belly
2 ½ cup kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar
Handful of Italian parsley, washed and roughly chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 Tablespoon red pepper flakes
*** The pork belly should cure for 24 hours before you cook it.
For Braising the Pork
Vegetable oil
1 large white onion, quartered and sliced
1 Tablespoon caraway seeds
1 lb sauerkraut, rinsed and squeezed dry
2 branches fresh rosemary, bruised with the back of a chef's knife
3 cups white wine
4 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into thick rounds
High quality whole grain mustard

Steps:

To Cure the Pork Remove the skin from the pork belly (if the butcher hasn't done this for you). Using a sharp knife, score the fat side in a crisscross pattern, making cuts about ¼ inch deep. Stir together the salt, sugar, parsley, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Rub the mixture all over the pork, especially into the scored fat. Place half the remaining cure mixture in a large shallow pan or baking dish and press the pork into it, meat-side down. Press the remaining mixture over the pork, cover tightly with plastic and refrigerate for 24 hours. To Braise the Belly Brush as much of the cure mixture from the pork as possible. Pour just enough oil into a large, heavy sauté pan to cover the bottom and place the pan over low heat. Put the pork in the pan fat-side down and slowly render until golden brown, about10 minutes. Turn the pork and brown the side with the meat. Remove the pork to a platter and carefully pour off about half of the rendered fat from the pan. Add the onions and caraway seeds to the pan and cook for 5 minutes: The onions should be limp but not fully tender, and the caraway aromatic. Stir the sauerkraut into the pan and heat it through. Nestle the pork belly in the pan and tuck in the rosemary as well. Pour in the wine, cover the pan, and slowly braise the pork until fork-tender, about 2 ½ hours. Check about every 45 minutes to make sure there is enough liquid in the pan, adding water if necessary. About 20 minutes before the pork is done, add the potatoes; cook until they are fork-tender but still have the slightest touch of a bite to them. Slice the pork into thick slabs and serve on a platter over the potatoes and sauerkraut. Accompany the pork with a dish or a dollop of mustard.