Heritage Jerk Pork Belly

SAVORY

Mar 22

Plantains, Green Onions, Sour-Orange-Persimmon Mojo

Chef James McNeal of Over/Under | Miami

Pork and sour orange mojo are an obvious coupling, but Chef James McNeal of Over/Under flips the pair on its head. Rather than marinating his Watson Farms pork belly in the mojo, he uses it as a jammy sauce. McNeal blends up charred, pork-fat-brushed persimmons with onion, thyme, Florida wildflower honey, and sour orange juice. The fragrant sauce sits beneath fried plantains, charred green onion, chiles, and McNeal’s jerk-spiced pork belly. The mojo plays an essential role, brightening up the pork’s melt-in-your-mouth umami.

INGREDIENTS:

Pumpkin Seed Dukkah:
½ cup pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon nigella seeds
1 tablespoon fried garlic
1 tablespoon Maldon sea salt

Jerk Spice Blend:
½ cup peanut oil
2 bunches green onions, sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 head garlic, peeled
1 Spanish onion, roughly chopped
6 knobs ginger, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons allspice berries, toasted then ground in a coffee grinder
4 cinnamon sticks, toasted then ground in a coffee grinder
3 tablespoons gochujang
1 cup tamari
2 tablespoons picked thyme

Pork Belly:
1 skinless heritage pork belly, halved
2 tablespoons kosher salt

Sour Orange Persimmon Mojo:
2 ripe Hachiya persimmons
½ Spanish onion, finely diced
Kosher salt
1 teaspoon picked thyme
1 cup freshly squeezed sour orange juice
1 tablespoon Florida wildflower honey

Plantains:
Peanut oil
Ripe plantains, sliced into 3.5-inch rounds
Salt

Green Onions:
2 green onions, trimmed
1 teaspoon peanut oil
Salt

Fresno Chiles:
1 small Fresno chile, thinly sliced
Salt
Sugar
Lime

To Assemble and Serve:
Neutral oil

METHOD:

For the Pumpkin Seed Dukkah:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place seeds and garlic on a sheet tray and toast in oven 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer dukkah to a mortar, add salt, and grind with pestle.

For the Jerk Spice Blend:
Add all ingredients to a Vitamix blender and blend until smooth.

For the Pork Belly:
Using a sharp chef’s knife, score pork fat in a crosshatch pattern. Season both sides of pork belly with salt. Rub with Jerk Spice Blend, massaging into the cuts of the fat cap. Transfer pork to a wire rack set inside of a roasting pan. Refrigerate overnight. The following day, let pork come to room temperature. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350℉. Roast pork belly uncovered for 2 to 2½ hours until internal temperature reaches 205℉ on an instant-read thermometer. Reserve rendered pork fat and let pork belly rest 30 minutes then cut into 4-to-5-ounce pieces.

For the Sour-Orange-Persimmon Mojo:
Brush persimmons with 1 tablespoon rendered pork fat. Using a grill, flat-top, or cast-iron, char persimmon flesh until browned. Once cool, scoop out persimmon flesh with a kitchen spoon and discard the skins. In a medium-sized, heavy-bottom saucepan over medium-low flame, heat 1 tablespoon rendered pork fat. Add onion and a pinch of salt and cook until soft and translucent. Add persimmon and thyme and continue to cook 5 to 10 minutes. Add sour orange juice and honey, then reduce by half. Transfer mixture to a Vitamix blender and purée until smooth. Season with salt.

For the Plantains:
Prepare a deep fryer with peanut oil heated to 350℉. Deep-fry plantains until soft and caramelized. Transfer plantains to paper towels to absorb excess oil. Season with salt.

For the Green Onions:
Using a grill, flat-top, or cast-iron, brown green onions with peanut oil and salt until caramelized.

For the Fresno Chile:
In a small bowl, season chile with remaining ingredients.

To Assemble and Serve:
Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add Pork Belly and sear on both sides. Spoon 2 tablespoons Sour-Orange-Persimmon Mojo to the center of a warm serving plate. Add seared Pork Belly, Plantains, and Green Onions. Finish with 3 to 4 slices of Fresno Chile and a sprinkle of Pumpkin Seed Dukkah.

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