Skip to main content

Stout Brined Crispy Chili Brown Sugar Pork Belly

Stout Brined Crispy Chili Brown Sugar Pork Belly P

Pork belly is a bit of a trade secret. It’s rich, delicious, and if you can get your hands on it, fairly cheap. It’s like shallots and Maldon salt, these little touches that turn a home-cooked meal into something that rivals a commercial kitchen. Pork belly is a favorite among chefs, and it’s easy to see why.

This gorgeous, fatty, melt-in-your-mouth cut of the pig is actually bacon, before it’s baconed. It’s hard to come by, but not impossible. Don’t plan to just pick this up at Safeway, you’ll have to call around to local butcher shops.

Stout Brined Crispy Chili Brown Sugar Pork Belly_The great news is, once you find it, it’ll probably be less than $4 a pound. One thing to keep in mind is how differently the meat and the fat need to be cooked. The meat itself needs the slow and low treatment or it’ll dry out, a good brine will help with this as well.

The fat, on the other hand, needs an intensely high heat. Finishing these little bites of meat candy on a hot grill is also a great idea. Adding some sugar to the skin will help with a beautifully caramelized crackle.

It’s also perfect with beer. Fancy, slow-cooked bacon was just made for a beautiful, balanced IPA, one with extra hops but a strong malt backbone. Beer and pig, it’s hard to go wrong.

Stout Brined Crispy Chili Brown Sugar Pork Belly 2

Stout Brined Crispy Chili Brown Sugar Pork Belly

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup very hot water
  • 3 tbs kosher salt
  • 1 tbs white sugar
  • 1 tbs whole cloves
  • 1 tbs whole allspice berries
  • 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
  • 24 ounces stout
  • 4.5 lbs pork belly
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 3 tbs rice vinegar
  • 2 tsp red chili flakes
  • 1 tsp red chili sauce such as Sriracha

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl or baking dish stir together the hot water, salt and sugar until the salt and sugar has dissolved.
  • Add the cloves, allspice and peppercorns. Stir in the beer, test to make sure the brine is cold (if not, chill until cooled).
  • Add the pork belly, cover and chill for 12 to 24 hours.
  • Remove from the brine (reserve brine), rinse the pork belly well.
  • Place a wire rack over a baking sheet (alternately, a baking pan will work), pour about 1 cup of the brine in the baking sheet making sure the wire rack is not submerged.
  • Place the pork belly on the rack, bake at 275 until pork is fork tender, about 4 hours.
  • Remove the pork from the oven, raise the oven temperature to 500.
  • Stir together the brown sugar, vinegar, chili flakes, and chili sauce.
  • Brush the pork belly with the sugar mixture.
  • Roast for ten minutes, re-brush with sugar mixture, roast again until pork is golden brown and the top is crispy.

 

Related Posts

Similar Articles


Comments


Sophia @ NY Foodgasm November 26, 2014 um 7:30 am

OMG! This is calling my name, beer and porkbelly, talk about a marriage made in heaven, ummm or hell depending how you think of it. I must try this one!

Reply

addie | culicurious December 2, 2014 um 4:46 am

Wow, this looks amazing and so simple! I’ve not attempted pork belly at home before but you’ve made it look so delicious and easy! thanks 🙂

Reply

Maria December 4, 2014 um 7:11 am

I love pork belly! A good place to look for it is in Asian markets. They tend to have big slabs on hand. Can’t wait to try this recipe!

Reply

Dan at IPA Beer December 11, 2014 um 11:32 pm

I am a pork belly lover and have found this to be already one of my favorite recipes. I have made it twice since discovering your post and it’s here to stay.

Good pork belly is not easy, but your recipe gets through some of the hangups.

Reply

Jackie December 12, 2014 um 9:55 am

Great! I’m so glad you liked it so much 🙂

Reply

Christine December 18, 2014 um 7:59 pm

ummm…oh. my. god. This is SOOOOO good. It’s like meat candy. WIll make it again soon.

Reply

Brian January 7, 2015 um 7:21 am

skin on or removed? I’ve done many pork bellies and some are better with and some better without the skin.

Reply

Jackie January 7, 2015 um 10:43 am

You can use either. I like the rind on, but if you use one without make sure there is still a good amount of fat on it.

Reply

Dustin January 8, 2015 um 3:33 pm

Is it possible to cook the pork belly in a crock pot?

Reply

Kevin March 2, 2015 um 9:22 pm

Any thoughts about throwing it on the smoker with a mild wood for the initial slow and low cook?

Reply

Jannik August 1, 2015 um 3:12 pm

Thanks for the great recipe. The first time I made it I loved it, so I’ve returned to it again and again and started experimenting with different variations. My favourite so far has been doubling the quantities of cloves, allspice berries and peppercorns and switching the stout to a Belgian dubbel. The cloves and candied sugar flavours in the dubbel just intensify those in the brine. I’ve labelled that one the double-dubbel recipe. Are there any variations you’d recommend trying?

Reply

Jackie August 3, 2015 um 9:19 am

Sounds awesome! I love the idea of using a dubbel

Reply

Michael November 28, 2015 um 6:52 am

Is the pork intended to be eaten hot or cold?

Reply

Jackie November 30, 2015 um 8:48 am

It can be either. I ate it hot.

Reply

Write a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




*
*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.