bacon wrapped pork belly

Today we added a new app. for the fall menu, as most mid west chef's I LOVE BACON! so I wanted to highlight this wonderful gift from God. The description was...
Bacon wrapped Pork Belly $12
breakfast spices, kaisers cabbage, local apples
This sold very well today and we are happy with the final results. The pork belly is local as well the bacon and apples, also the cabbage is named after a customer Steven David who is know as the Kaiser in the wine industry. Also we used Cinnamon Chai tea for the braising liquid. The apple was cardamom infused into a gel, thickened with ultra tex8.

Hi Chef,
I would love to know your prep for this dish. My husband is in hot pursuit of a good pork belly recipe. He took a stab at preparing it by pressure cooking until almost done, and then finishing in the oven to brown. It was one big slab of fat with a layer of over-cooked pork beneath, not the effect he was going for. I cannot even imagine wrapping it in bacon (at least not the slab WE had). Guidance here would be appreciated!

Thanks,
JuliaB

I'd be interested in your prep as well. We had pork belly at a friend's house a couple of weeks ago that was wonderful, so we're looking into making it ourselves.

Chef, Hi...

Sounds a treat. Part of your low cholesterol menu, I presume?

Best
Rogov

I have to admit, it amuses the hell out of me to see such a poor folk food as pork belly, aka fatback, aka streak o' lean, aka salt pork taking on such pretentious airs just because the rich folk think it's chic.
There were a couple of lean (no pun intended) stretches during my childhood when, absent crappie and catfish my Dad caught, or venison he shot, sliced and crisp-fried fatback was the meat for a meal or three each week (also alternating with bologna and fried chicken livers, which I refused to eat). That at least partially accounts for my absolute disdain of it as a food item in adulthood.

For interest below is a recipe I have used successfully on a number of occasions. (no bacon however) the actual cooking of the pork belly for crispy skin is the major bit, I vary the sauce I use with the pork.
Unfortunately I forgot to note the provenance, my apologies.

CRISP PORK BELLY WITH CARAMEL VINEGAR
1 1/2 kilograms pork belly
2 tablespoons sea salt
olive oil
black pepper
115 grams brown sugar
80 milliliters red wine vinegar
2 star anise
1 stick cinnamon
250 milliliters chicken stock
60 milliliters orange juice
4 pieces orange peel, wide strips
salt and pepper

Score the skin of the pork rub with the sea salt and set aside for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 220C.
Wipe salt off pork and dry thoroughly.
Drizzle roasting tin with olive oil and add pork skin side down. Drizzle with a little more oil and season.
Roast for 30 minutes, reduce heat to 190C and roast for another 1.5 hours turn pork and roast for another 20 minutes or so or until the skin is crisp.
Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil and rest for at least 15 minutes.

For the Caramel Vinegar.
Put sugar, vinegar, star anise and cinnamon in a small saucepan and cook stirring to dissolve sugar.
Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes or until syrupy.
Stir in the stock and simmer for another 5 m inutes.
Add the juice and peel, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until thick and syrupy. Season to taste.

Hi Chef,
I would love to know your prep for this dish. My husband is in hot pursuit of a good pork belly recipe. He took a stab at preparing it by pressure cooking until almost done, and then finishing in the oven to brown. It was one big slab of fat with a layer of over-cooked pork beneath, not the effect he was going for. I cannot even imagine wrapping it in bacon (at least not the slab WE had). Guidance here would be appreciated!

Thanks,
JuliaB

Hello Julia,
We prepared the pork belly with a rub of star anise, clove,nutmeg, cardamom,cinnamon and brown sugar. Try to use whole spices then grind in a coffee grinder or Vita mix. Leave in fride overnight. Next day brew about 2qts. Cinnamon Chai tea and set to side. We use Paromi tea, as a side note if you love loose leaf tea order some of there tea, its amazing. Next core and half 5 large honeycrisp apples, and slice one large vidalia onion. Place in a roasting pan on a rack then place belly on top of apple and onios, pour tea into pan cover with plastic wrap and foil, cook in oven 350f for 3hours, check and take off foil and finish in oven basting often for 30 to 45 min, you want to render off as much fat as you can, it will be pretty lean when fully cooked. Take out and let cool down in liquid overnight. As for the red cabbage you can go online for simple recipe and just infuse with some whole star anise, as for the apple sauce, peel core and chop 6 apples add to a heavy pan add 4T sugar 6 whole cardamom 1 fresh squeezed lemon some lemon zest and 1/2 cup h2o. simmer until tender, add to blender and puree, push through chinois and you have your coulis. If possible we add Ultra Tex 8 which gives it some body, almost like a apple gel if you cant get any no big deal although it is inexpensive $8 a pound which would last you a life time. thats about it, cut belly wrap with some par cooked Nueske's bacon or local bacon similar to nueske's, finish in oven place on top of cabbage add apple gel and you are done. As a side note we did get some positive response, but I am not sure if people are ready for bacon wrapped bacon so we may add a diver scallop and a thin slice of belly wrapped in bacon. Thats food always changing like jazz we are always evolving and thats what makes cooking so much fun, there are no rules no limits!

Thank you Chef Rick and Barbara! My husband will be ..(dare I say it?) ..in hog heaven with these recipes!!

I will report back when we've tried them.
Thanks again!
JuliaB