Ingredients
1 Whole pork belly without ribs
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoons browsn sugar
½ teaspoon whole pepper
4 stalks lemongrass
4 shallots
1 dried bay leaf
1 head garlic, peeled and crushed
Brine the pork belly
Brining or salting is a way of increasing the moisture holding capacity of meat resulting in a moister product when it is cooked.
- Prepare your brining solution by dissolving 2 tablespoon of salt and 1 table spoon of brown sugar in 1 cup of boiling water. Add 1 stalk of lemon grass and 1 dried bay leaf. Add 3 cups of water to Let the brine solution cool down. Chill brine completely in the refrigerator before adding pork.
- Put the pork belly in a container or a resealable bag plastic bag can work as a brining container. Make sure that the meat is well submerged and fully covered.
- Let it refrigerated for 24 hours to 4 days.
- Rinse pork twice after removing it from the brine solution. Using paper towels, pat down surfaces of meat to completely dry.
How to cook the pork belly?
- Place the pork belly skin side down. Arrange the lemongrass stalks, onions, and garlic.
- Roll pork belly into a tight log, ending with skin side up. Using kitchen twine, tie on three to four places to secure shape.
- Bake in a preheated 180 F oven for about 3 ½ hours or or until the skin crispy.
- Remove from the oven/broiler and let it cool down for few minutes before slicing it.
