Chuck Hughes’ slow-braised pork belly is paired perfectly with a delicate scallop drizzled with a thick coffee glaze.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 3 hr 50 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Cook: | 3 hr 35 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh pork belly
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped
- 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 1 fennel bulb, quartered
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 4 cups veal stock
- 1 cup hard cider or apple juice
- 4 large scallops
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Braising liquid
- 1 teaspoon black coffee
- 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- For the pork belly: Season the pork belly with salt and pepper. On medium-high heat, in half the oil, sear the meat in an oven-proof casserole dish on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, onion, fennel, thyme, and peppercorns and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, or until caramelized. Add the veal stock and hard cider. Cover the casserole dish with a lid, or securely with tin foil, and braise the pork belly in the oven for 3 hours, until tender. Remove the pork belly from the oven and set aside on an aluminum-foil covered plate. Strain the leftover liquid with a large sieve over a stockpot, discard the vegetables and skim the excess fat from the braising liquid. Heat a pan on high heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Cut the pork belly into 4 equal pieces and sear on all sides until crispy, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan and keep warm. Before this step, reduce the glaze.
- For the glaze: Start by reducing the braising liquid by half for about 15 minutes on medium-high heat. Add the coffee and honey and continue cooking for about 5 minutes, until it thickens. You will know the sauce is done when it coats the back of a spoon. Set aside. For the scallops: Season the scallops with salt and pepper. In the same hot pan as the pork belly, sear the scallops on both sides for about 1 minute.
- For serving: Drizzle the coffee glaze over the pork belly. Top with a scallop. Season with sea salt and serve.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 1451 |
| Total Fat | 135 g |
| Saturated Fat | 45 g |
| Carbohydrates | 23 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 10 g |
| Protein | 33 g |
| Cholesterol | 173 mg |
| Sodium | 1647 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 1451 |
| Total Fat | 135 g |
| Saturated Fat | 45 g |
| Carbohydrates | 23 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 10 g |
| Protein | 33 g |
| Cholesterol | 173 mg |
| Sodium | 1647 mg |