I could feel my mouth water while reading through this recipe for “fresh bacon”. I’m a huge fan of Top Chef and I’m love trying all things by Tom Colicchio. His recipe made it easy for people who are new to working with pork bellies, like me.
Last weekend, we had to wait about 3 hours to braise the pork belly, but I thought it was worth the wait. The smoky, savory pork meat stayed nice and juicy thanks to its cocoon of belly fat. We picked up these belly pieces from the grocery store. I wonder if we could have gotten more belly meat at a butcher’s shop. Maybe next time.
I also enjoy the by-products of this recipe: braised pork belly skin. It reminded me of biting into a crunchy piece of lichon at Ninang’s house. The skin tasted salty, meaty and fatty.
While we waited for the pork belly in the oven, we also whipped up this Mac and Cheese recipe from Chocolate and Zucchini. The clean flavors of pasta and cheese helped balance the salty pork flavors. We ended up using grated Parmesan cheese in this easy-to-make dish.