My post on the pork belly confit from the Ad Hoc at Home cookbook is far and away my most viewed post of the last four months, having almost three thousand page views. I think most of it has to do with the excellent photography by Broderick, but I think part of it is because it just sounds obnoxiously good – pork belly cooked in fat.
The best part is that the dish is as good as it sounds. So of course I made it again, this time using a larger slab of belly, courtesy of my friend Liz who is a great chef in Greenville. As there was so much pork belly, we couldn’t eat it all right away, so I cleaned the fat, then submerged the belly and kept it in the fridge for a month, pulling out a piece on occasion. Pork belly confit goes well with fried eggs, I’ve discovered.
David of Eat Buford Highway told me that he had made a similar dish, then fried it and made a sandwich out of it, and ever since I knew I wanted to deep fry a piece and try something similar. Tacos.
Of course, a unique protein calls for interesting taco garnishes. I started by quick pickling thin slices of beets. I used my mandolin to get the slices super thin, then soaked the beets in olive oil, cider vinegar, and added a tablespoon of both sugar and salt. Twenty minutes was enough time, but they were even better a few hours later.
For another accompaniment I tried to recreate the kimchi from Top Flr. I swear the kimchi they serve with their roasted chicken tastes like there is Frank’s Hot Sauce in it, so that’s what I used. I sautéed salt seasoned cabbage in a small amount of olive oil until it had a little color on it. Then I added two tablespoons of water and covered it and steamed it for a few minutes. Finally, I added 1/4 cup of Frank’s, took it off the heat, and mixed it all up. I really think mine tasted similar, but am 94% sure they don’t use Frank’s, just something reminiscent of it.
Here’s the pork belly, ready to fry.
3 minutes at 350. Awww yeah.
Plated on a white corn tortilla, with a small amount of cheese and salsa. The salsa isn’t necessary, later that day when I made another taco I didn’t use it.
One of the best “original” dishes I’ve made. The cabbage was spicy and creamy, the beets add texture and a welcome additional layer of flavor, and the pleasantly crunchy pork belly exterior hid the softest, most delicious pork fat I’ve ever tasted.
Photo from later that night:
