BRINED-AND-BRAISED PORK BELLY WITH CARAWAY

Brined-and-Braised Pork Belly With Caraway image

Provided by Amanda Hesser

Time P2DT3h15m

Yield Serves 4

Number Of Ingredients 19

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Ingredients

1 cup caraway seeds
3 tablespoons fennel seeds
3 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 cup Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more as needed
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups cider vinegar
2 pounds pork belly (center cut)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
6 sprigs thyme
3 tablespoons caraway seeds, toasted
4 cups apple cider
4 cups chicken broth

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.