Author Notes
I've never been to the UK so I did a bit of research to figure out what is quintessential pub food. My eye was caught by a very simple bacon sandwich - white bread - something called HP sauce. I decide to riff on this by making a pork belly sandwich. This is certainly something of an indulgence - pork belly gets its succulence through layers of luxurious fat . . . but I balanced it with a crisp slaw and some tangy blue cheese. The cooking liquid from the pork belly becomes a rich stock you pour over the meat and saturate the rolls (use a sturdy roll like cibatta so it doesn't fall apart when saturated with the delicious broth). I can imagine this would be a nice treat late night at a dark pub. The pork belly approach was taken from David Chang's amazing pork belly buns. —meganvt01
Ingredients
- Pork Belly
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3 pounds
boneless skinless pork belly - cut into four pieces
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1/2 cup
kosher salt
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1/4 cup
sugar
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2 cups
water
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2 cups
apple juice
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1 tablespoon
fennel seeds
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1 teaspoon
black peppercorns
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1
cinnamon stick
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1 tablespoon
corriander seeds
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1 tablespoon
cumin seeds
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2
sprigs thyme
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1 cup
chicken stock
- Slaw and Sandwich Assembly
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2
smaller bulbs fennel
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2
apples (not super tart) I used Fuji
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2
small shallots, minced
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2 teaspoons
dijon mustard
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2 tablespoons
apple cider vinegar
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3 tablespoons
olive oil
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1 teaspoon
thyme leaves (fresh)
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1/2 cup
crumbled stilton
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6
sturdy rolls - I used cibatta
Directions
- Pork Belly
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Toast the whole spices in a dry skillet until they become aromatic - about 5 minutes on medium.
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Mix the salt, sugar, juice, water and stir until dissolved. Add spices and thyme. Pour over pork belly pieces in a baking dish (keep it tight so the pieces are submerged) and brine for 12 hours. (Pork should be fat side up)
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Remove the belly from the brine - keep in the baking dish and pour in the chicken stock. Cover tightly with foil and roast in a 300 degree oven for 3 hours.
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Remove the foil and turn on the broiler (keeping the pan in the same mid-rack position rather than moving it up towards the broiler) and broil until the fat top is really browned and crispy. Let cool in the liquid.
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Slice the pork into 1/4 inch slices. If you want a really crispy sandwich - add this step - heat up a cast iron skillet over medium high - lay the slices of pork belly for 1 -2 minutes until the side is crisp.
- Slaw and Sandwich Assembly
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Using a mandoline - thinly slice the apple and fennel bulbs. Toss with shallots and thyme.
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Mix the dijon, cider vinegar, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over apple fennel mixture.
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Assemble the sandwich - place 4 or 5 slices of crispy pork on the bottom roll. Pour over 1 - 2 tablespoons of the cooking broth. Pile on the apple fennel slaw (about 1/2 cup) and sprinkle on your desired amount of crumbled stilton.
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