Crispy Pork Belly

Cranberry Bean Sauce, Coconut Vinegar, Fresh Herbs, Red Onion, Pickled Chile

Chef Christian Truong of Si! Mon | Santa Monica, CA

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Adapted by StarChefs | april 2024

INGREDIENTS

Coconut Vinegar:
400 grams dried coconut
800 grams diced yellow onion
200 grams sliced ginger
250 grams sliced garlic
80 grams ground black pepper
1 kilogram distilled white vinegar 
Kosher salt
Coconut sugar
MSG

Cranberry Bean Sauce:
5 pounds dried cranberry beans, soaked overnight
8 ounces carrots, peeled and diced
8 ounces chopped yellow onion 
Chicken stock
10 ounces beef fat
6 ounces butter
Kosher salt
Brown sugar

Cured Pork Belly:
250 grams toasted cinnamon stick
250 grams toasted star anise
100 grams toasted clove
100 grams toasted coriander seed
100 grams toasted cumin seed
Pork belly
Brown sugar
Kosher salt
Distilled white vinegar
Rock salt

To Assemble and Serve:
Oil for frying
Butter lettuce
Mint leaves
Cilantro leaves
Sliced red onion
Pickled serrano chile

METHOD

For the Coconut Vinegar:
In a nonreactive container, combine coconut, onion, ginger, garlic, and black pepper. Set aside. In a large saucepan over medium high heat, bring vinegar to a boil. Pour boiling vinegar over the coconut mixture. Weigh and stir in one percent salt, two percent coconut sugar, and half a percent MSG by weight of the mixture. Cover with plastic wrap, then let sit 1 month at room temperature.

For the Cranberry Bean Sauce:
In a saucepan over medium heat, add beans, carrots, and onions. Cover with enough chicken stock to submerge, then cook until beans are fork tender. Strain, reserving liquid and solids separately. In a Vitamix blender, purée beans on high speed. Working in batches, add beef fat and butter and blend until mixture is fully emulsified. Add reserved cooking liquid as needed to thin sauce. Transfer mixture to a nonreactive container. Weigh, then add one percent salt and two percent brown sugar by weight of the bean mixture. Cover and refrigerate. 

For the Cured Pork Belly:
In a spice grinder, pulse all spices until a fine powder is achieved. Set aside. Weigh pork belly. On a work surface, coat flesh side of the pork belly in one percent spice mixture, one percent brown sugar, and one and a half percent salt by weight of the pork. Using a meat tenderizer, poke holes into the skin side of the pork. Refrigerate 3 days, uncovered. Once cured, rinse pork and pat dry. Heat oven to 350°F. Wrap pork belly in aluminum foil, leaving skin exposed. Brush a thin layer vinegar on skin, then cover completely with rock salt. Transfer to a sheet tray and bake 1 hour. Remove aluminum foil and brush off rock salt. Increase oven heat to 500°F. Wrap belly in aluminum foil, leaving the skin exposed. Bake 10 minutes. Rotate pork, then bake additional 10 minutes, or until the skin is crispy. Let cool, then slice and set aside.

To Assemble and Serve:
In a fryer, heat oil to 350°F. Add 10 pieces Cured Pork Belly and fry until golden brown. Let cool. Spoon Cranberry Bean Sauce into a serving bowl. Top with fried Cured Pork Belly. Serve with 1 ramekin Coconut Vinegar, fresh greens, red onion, and serrano.

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