THE PORKER

The Porker image

Provided by Food Network

Time P8DT4h

Yield 4 burgers

Number Of Ingredients 29

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Ingredients

2 pounds pork butt
2 tablespoons Brown Sugar Rub, recipe follows
8 ounces sliced smoked Cheddar
2 hot link sausages (we make ours in house but you can use any spicy store-bought sausage)
4 hamburger buns
4 tablespoons South Carolina Mayo, recipe follows
1/2 cup pickled chiles
8 ounces Maple Bacon, recipe follows
Hand-cut fries, potato salad or chips, for serving
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup yellow mustard
2 fluid ounces cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon pink salt, optional (optional, only necessary if smoking the bacon)
2 pounds skinless pork belly
2 tablespoons Michigan maple syrup or (or your favorite purereal maple syrup)

Steps:

Grind the pork butt twice through a meat grinder with a large die and form into four 8-ounce patties. Sprinkle the patties generously with the Brown Sugar Rub and grill to desired temperature (we recommend medium or pink in the center). Top with smoked Cheddar and melt it with your grill closed. Cut the hot links in half and split down the center. Grill on both sides until crispy. To assemble the sandwich, spread the bottom bun with the South Carolina Mayo and top with pickled chiles and Maple Bacon. Next, add the pork patty and then top with the split hot link. We serve our hand-cut fries on the side, but the sandwich is great with potato salad, chips or anything else.
Mix the brown sugar, chili powder, salt, granulated garlic, granulated onion, black pepper and cayenne pepper together in a bowl. Cover tightly and leave out at room temperature.
Whisk together the mustard, vinegar, brown sugar, paprika, black pepper, cayenne pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Let sit overnight to develop flavor (we also use this sauce as a mustard- based BBQ sauce without the mayo). Whisk together the sauce and mayonnaise and set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use. Use any extra for sandwiches, dipping fried things in... really anything.
Combine the kosher salt, brown sugar and, if smoking the bacon, the pink salt if smoking the bacon, and mix thoroughly. Then whisk in the maple syrup. Rub the cure over the entire pork belly and place in a zip-top bag (remove the air from the bag before sealing). Place in the refrigerator for 7 days, flipping the belly every day to balance out the cure. On the eighth day, remove the belly from the cure and rinse thoroughly. Then place in the refrigerator uncovered, preferably on a rack for better air flow. Leave overnight to dry and form a pellicle (the skin made from proteins that form on the surface to allow the smoke to penetrate the meat better). If you have a smoker, smoke the belly for 3 hours at 200 degrees F to an internal temperature of 150 degrees F. Remove from the smoker, cool and slice about 1/4-inch thick. If you do not have a smoker, put the belly on an oven rack for 3 hours at 200 degrees F and cook to an internal temperature of 150 degrees F. Then cool and slice about 1/4-inch thick. Place the bacon slices on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees F until brown and crispy. (Reserve the homemade bacon fat for tomorrow's breakfast.)