August 8, 2016 0 Comments 2438 views

My Boo Bear and I just celebrated our birthdays two weeks ago. I cannot believe this amazing little guy is already two years old. I’m going to take this time to document and say thank you Rue for overflowing my heart with such joy and happiness. I can sit there and watch your beautiful little profile and I love you more and more every day. I absolutely adore you, son. I love you. And to all of my amazing followers, thank you so, SO much for all of your wonderful birthday wishes. Thank you so much for your support. Ok, Ok… enough with the mushy stuff. This week, we are going to return strong with this delicious Paleo Crispy Boar Belly with Plum Sauce.

The inspiration behind the Crispy Boar Belly with Plum Sauce is from one of my childhood food memories. There are many Chinese BBQ stores in Hong Kong but, like every family, we have our favorite one. They served roasted ducks, BBQ pork and of course, roasted pork bellies. When I was around six or seven, my parents would give me some cash and let me run into the store to learn how to order the Chinese BBQ. At that age, I felt like such a grownup! I would walk up to the window and say “Sifu, can I have $40 worth of Roasted Pork?” That’s how we measured the amount of meat we would purchase. It is very common for people to walk up, give the chef a dollar value instead of the actual weight. It’s kind of smart because that is a fantastic way to not over spend! Traditionally, the roasted pork bellies are served with cane sugar, but I want to put my own spin on it. I am going to make a Crispy Boar Belly with Plum Sauce.

Paleo Crispy Boar Belly with Plum Sauce:

Crispy Boar Belly:

3 lbs – Broken Arrow Ranch Boar Belly (with skin)¹

2 Cloves Fresh Garlic

2 Tbsp – Kasandrinos Spartan Pepper

2 Tbsp – Sea Salt

1 Tbsp – Kasandrinos Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Plum Sauce:

2 Cups – Organic Bubble Gum Plums (Pitted & Quartered)²

1 Tbsp – Fresh Ginger (Coarse Minced)

½ Cup – Honey (More if you like Sweeter)

¼ Cup – Apple juice

1 Tbsp – Fresh Lemon Juice

¼ Tsp – Ground Cinnamon

1 Tbsp – Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce

Toppings:

1 Tsp – Kasandrinos Spartan Pepper

½ Tsp – Crushed Red Chili Flakes

3 Tbsp – Finely Diced Green Onions

Note¹ – Feel Free to use any kind of pork belly with skin

Note² – Bubble Gum Plums are hard to find, substitute with black or red plums

Alright, let’s get started by talking about our ingredients this week. You cannot have a Crispy Boar Belly with Plum Sauce without the boar bellies or plums. I know boar bellies are not easy to come by unless you happen to be a bad ass like me and knifed one during a brisk walk on a mid-summer day. Just kidding! You can totally substitute with pork bellies. As for the plums, I have some of the best farmers at my local farmers’ market that happen to grow these amazing bubble gum plums. You can definitely sub these out with black or red plums. Next, we cannot NOT talk about Kasandrinos Spartan Pepper. This stuff is freakin’ amazing! I put it on everything! I love it on eggs, ham…you name it, I’ve probably sprinkled some on it. Enough about the ingredients, I’m getting hungry. Let’s make this Crispy Boar Belly with Plum Sauce!

Crispy Boar Belly Instruction:

First off, let’s make the boar/pork belly. It is extremely important for the belly to have the skin still attached. Without it, you will not have Crispy Boar Belly with Plum Sauce. Instead, you will have Boar Belly and Plum Sauce. The Crispy skin is what makes this dish so delicious and gives it a change in texture. I see a ton on videos on how to make a crispy pork belly. The method I’m about to show you is actually a traditional Chinese way. In a large pot/wok, boil enough water to fully submerge the belly. In the water, add in 1 tbsp Spartan Pepper, 1-2 Tbsp Salt and garlic cloves. Boil it for half an hour to an hour until the belly is completely cooked. Remove the belly from the hot water and instantly submerge it into an ice water bath. After you let the belly cool down, take it out of the water and pat it dry with paper towels.

Skin Side Down, I would make a few cuts to the meat but do not cut the skin or the layer of fat under the skin. This way, the meat will lay flatter. Rub the meat with the remaining tbsp of Spartan Pepper, salt and olive oil (Do not get any on the skin). Turn the belly skin side up and wrap the bottom (meat half) with tin foil and leave the skin exposed. Use a needle tenderizer or any kind of needle and puncture small holes all over the skin. Some instructions say to leave it in the fridge uncovered overnight to allow the skin to dry out. I’m too impatient for that. I set my belly in front of a fan on high for 2 hours and it was dried. After it is dried and feels leathery, bake it in the oven at 400ºF for 45 minutes (with the tin foil tray). If the skin doesn’t look like pork crackling after 45 minutes, turn your boiler on to the low setting and watch the magic happen. Pay extra attention while the broiler is on. You do not want to burn the nice puffy crackling. Let’s move on to the plum sauce for the Crispy Boar Belly with Plum Sauce.

Plum Sauce Instruction:

We are making plum sauce? Yup! Can’t have Crispy Boar Belly with Plum Sauce without it. It is very easy to make. Throw all of your plum sauce ingredients into a saucepan and cook it over medium heat. Stir occasionally to keep the bottom from burning. Keep cooking the sauce until it has been reduced, give or take 10-15 minutes. Once you think the sauce is thick enough, run it throw a fine sieve to strain out the plum’s skin (which gives the sauce the pretty color), the ginger and the chili seeds from the garlic chili sauce. To serve the the Crispy Boar Belly with Plum Sauce, you want to slice or cube the boar belly. I found that my bread knife gave me much cleaner cuts. Sprinkle some spartan pepper, crushed red chili flakes, a drizzle of plum sauce, and a small handful of green onions. I use green onions, but feel free to use some microgreens if you like. The purpose of it, is to help freshen/cut the greasiness of the boar belly when eating it. There you have it, my Paleo Crispy Boar Belly with Plum Sauce. I hope you guys enjoyed it, and until next time, eat up my friends!

P.S. Forgive me for the slightly imperfect pics of the Crispy Boar Belly with Plum Sauce. I’m learning this new lens that my brother got me for my birthday. It’s true, I have the best brother ever!