Pork Belly Skewers

By MooK

Cooks' notes: •Braised and pressed pork belly can be chilled up to 5 days (remove weights after 1 day).
•Chile sauce can be made 3 days ahead and chilled.
•Pork belly can be grilled in an oiled grill pan over medium heat

Ingredients

• For brine:
• 4 teaspoons coriander seeds, toasted
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, toasted
• 1 gallon water
• 1 1/3 cups kosher salt
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 (4-to 5-inch) fresh red chiles, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed
• 3/4 cup daun salam (Indonesian bay leaves; 3/4 ounce)
• For pork belly:
• 3 pounds pork belly, skin discarded
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, cut into 6 wedges
• 1 head garlic, left unpeeled and halved crosswise
• 2 shallots, halved lengthwise
• 2 cups chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth
• For chile sauce:
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
• 1 cup grated palm sugar (8 ounces)
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 5 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)
• 6 tablespoons chopped cilantro stems
• 7 (4-to 5-inch) fresh red chiles, chopped, including seeds
• 12 garlic cloves, chopped (about 6 tablespoons)
• Equipment: about 60 (8-inch) wooden skewers, soaked in water 1 hour

Preparation

Step 1

Brine pork belly:
Bring brine ingredients to a boil in a 6-quart pot, then simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes. 3Cool brine to room temperature, then chill until cold, about 3 hours, and up to 3 days.

Cover pork belly with brine in a large heavy roasting pan, then chill 24 hours.

Remove pork belly from brine, discarding brine, and rinse under cold water. Pat pork belly dry. Wash and dry roasting pan.

Braise pork belly:
Preheat oven to 225°F with rack in middle.

Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners and heat oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then cook onion, garlic, and shallots, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add stock and bring to a boil, scraping up brown bits. Add pork belly and remove from heat.

Cover roasting pan tightly with foil and braise in oven until pork belly is very tender, 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours.

Remove pork belly (reserve braising liquid for another use) and cool to room temperature.

Wrap tightly in several layers of plastic wrap and chill, pressed between 2 baking sheets with a weight (such as four 28-ounces cans) on top, 12 to 24 hours.

Make chile sauce:
Purée all sauce ingredients with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a blender.

Skewer pork belly:
Bring pork belly to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Cut lengthwise into 1-inch strips, then cut each strip crosswise into 1/3-inch-wide pieces. Thread each piece onto a skewer and brush with some of chile sauce.

Prepare grill:
If using a charcoal grill, open vents on bottom and light a large chimney starter full of charcoal (preferably hardwood), then dump coals out across bottom rack, leaving a space free of coals on one side of grill equal to size of pork belly, where it can be moved in case of flare-ups. When charcoal turns grayish white, the grill will be at its hottest and will then begin to cool off. Grill is ready when you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill rack directly over coals for just 3 to 4 seconds (medium-hot). If using a gas grill, preheat all burners on high 10 minutes, then adjust heat to medium-high.

Grill pork belly:
Oil grill rack, then grill pork belly, turning occasionally and basting with chile sauce once more, until well browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Brush with more chile sauce.