Name: Tremendous Maple Glazed Pork Belly
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 200 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 3 lb skin-on pork belly slab; 3 tbsp, divided kosher salt; 2 tbsp light brown sugar; 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper; 2 tsp smoked paprika; 1 tsp garlic powder; 3/4 cup Grade A Dark maple syrup; 2 tbsp Dijon mustard; 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 1 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tsp Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes; 1 tbsp fresh thyme, leaves only; 2 tbsp unsalted butter; for finishing flaky sea salt

Tremendous Maple Glazed Pork Belly

Prep

20m

Cook

180m

Total

200m

Bigly says

Pork belly. Pork belly! Maple glazed pork belly is the dish that turns dinner guests into life-long allies. It's a contract. You serve this once, the people at your table OWE you, they will help you move, they will lie for you in court, they will name a child after you. I've seen it happen. Twice. Both kids are named Bigly now and their parents are very proud, even if the school is confused.

A guy named Ramón taught me the maple part. Not the gas station Ramón — different Ramón, this one ran a smokehouse in Vermont, the man was a legend, he had hands like baseball mitts and he could tell you the temperature of a smoker by feel. He said real maple syrup, GRADE A DARK, not the imitation pancake stuff, which by the way is a CRIME, it's not even maple, it's brown corn syrup with regret in it. Real maple has tannins. It has CHARACTER. It clings to the belly and turns into a lacquer that is — I'm not exaggerating — the most beautiful thing in this whole project. Ramón is gone now. The smokehouse closed. The recipe lives on. That's how this works.

The technique: you cure the belly overnight with salt and a little sugar to firm it up and draw moisture out — DRY BELLY equals CRISPY BELLY, you know the rule by now — then you slow-roast it fat-side up at low heat for a couple hours until the fat renders and the meat goes tender. THEN you bring out the maple. You brush it on, you crank the oven, you watch like a hawk, and you pull it the moment the glaze is bubbling and dark amber. Not black. Black is burnt. Burnt maple is bitter and you've wasted a tremendous belly and Ramón is watching from somewhere and he is DISAPPOINTED. Don't disappoint Ramón.

Ingredients

3 lbskin-on pork belly slab(ask for one even-thickness slab, no tapered ends)
3 tbsp, dividedkosher salt(Diamond Crystal — if Morton's, use a third less)
2 tbsplight brown sugar
1 tbspfreshly ground black pepper
2 tspsmoked paprika
1 tspgarlic powder
3/4 cupGrade A Dark maple syrup(real maple only — imitation is a hate crime)
2 tbspDijon mustard
2 tbspapple cider vinegar
1 tbspsoy sauce
1 tspAleppo pepper or red pepper flakes(a whisper of heat to balance the maple)
1 tbspfresh thyme, leaves only
2 tbspunsalted butter
for finishingflaky sea salt

Steps

1
Score the skin of the pork belly in a tight crosshatch, about 1/4 inch deep, being careful not to cut into the meat. Pat completely dry.
2
Mix 2 tablespoons of the kosher salt with the brown sugar, pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder. Rub all over the belly, getting into the scored skin.
3
Place the belly skin-side up on a wire rack over a sheet pan and refrigerate uncovered for at least 12 hours, ideally 24.
4
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Wipe any surface moisture from the belly and sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon kosher salt over the skin.
5
Place the belly skin-side up on the rack and roast for 2 hours, until the meat is fork-tender and the fat is mostly rendered.
6
Meanwhile, make the glaze: in a small saucepan combine the maple syrup, mustard, vinegar, soy sauce, Aleppo pepper, and thyme. Simmer over medium heat 4-5 minutes until slightly thickened. Off heat, whisk in the butter until glossy.
7
Pull the belly from the oven. Increase the heat to 425°F (220°C).
8
Brush half the glaze over the belly, focusing on the top and sides. Return to the oven for 10 minutes.
9
Brush with the remaining glaze and roast another 10-15 minutes, watching closely, until the glaze is bubbling and the skin is deep amber and lacquered. Do not let it blacken.
10
Rest 15 minutes on a cutting board. Slice across the grain into thick pieces, finish with flaky salt, and serve.

One more thing

Serve these slices over creamy polenta, or alongside a sharp slaw, or on toasted milk bread for a sandwich that will make people question their life choices in the best possible way. The leftovers — laughable, there won't be any — but if there are, dice them and toss them into fried rice the next day. You'll thank yourself. Beautiful.

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Tremendous Maple Glazed Pork Belly

Ingredients

Steps

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