Tangerine Glazed Pork Belly & Mushroom Rice Pilaf

I have only used pork belly for one recipe - Sweet and Sour Pork. When I last made it, I purchased two packages of pork belly thinking that we would have company over. I ended up not needing two and needed to find another recipe in order to use up the extra.

This is the first recipe I came across and once I saw it I knew there was no need to keep looking. I don't watch Emeril often, but I know this man knows his pork! The only change I made in the recipe was to use orange juice instead of tangerine. It was what I had on hand and it worked perfectly.

The pork was so moist and incredibly delicious. We really enjoyed this recipe! I served it with a yummy mushroom rice pilaf. Sorry I don't have an individual picture of that, but if you squint a little, you can see it in the pork belly shot! :)



Tangerine Glazed Pork Belly
Emeril Lagasse


4 to 5 pounds pork belly, cut into portions about 4 1/2 by 3-inches each
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
4 1/2 cups chicken stock
4 cups tangerine juice, divided
1/4 cup light brown sugar
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon whole allspice
3/4 cups sugar

Adjust oven setting to broil.

Using a sharp knife, score the fat side of the pork belly, diagonally, and season with salt and pepper on all sides. Place onion, carrots, and celery in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Place the pork belly, scored side up, on top of the vegetables. Broil until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Turn the pork flesh side up and continue broiling for 10 more minutes.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Turn the pork back to the scored side up and add the chicken stock, 2 cups of the tangerine juice, light brown sugar, thyme, cloves, and allspice to the roasting pan. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 2 hours. After 2 hours, fold back the foil to create a vent and continue to bake for another 2 hours or until the meat is very tender.

While the pork is braising, prepare the tangerine glaze. Using a fine wire-meshed sieve, strain any pulp out of the remaining 2 cups tangerine juice. Combine the juice and 3/4 cup of sugar in a medium saucepan and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle boil and cook until the glaze is thick and syrupy, about 30 to 40 minutes. (The finished glaze will form dime-sized bubbles while simmering and will be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.)

Remove the pan from the oven and let the pork cool slightly in the braising liquid. Adjust oven setting to broil. Remove the pieces of pork belly from the braising liquid and pat dry. Using a pastry brush, baste the pork belly on all sides with the glaze. Place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and broil for 4 to 5 minutes, or until crispy around the edges and golden brown.

Drizzle pork belly generously with any remaining glaze and serve.


Mushroom Rice Pilaf
Allrecipes

1/4 cup chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 teaspoons butter
1 (8 ounce) can mushroom stems and pieces, drained
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/8 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper

In a saucepan, saute green pepper and onion in butter until tender. Add mushrooms; heat through. Stir in the water, rice, bouillon, parsley, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 14-16 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.