Red Wine Braised Pork Belly with Grits
Rich pork belly is slowly braised with red wine, stock, and aromatic vegetables until meltingly tender and deeply flavorful. Served over a bed of creamy grits and finished with a drizzle of honey and braising juices, the dish balances savory richness with subtle sweetness for a comforting, elegant meal.
Braised Pork Belly with Creamy Grits
Category
Pork RecipesAuthor:
Lobel's of New YorkServings
6
Cooking Method
Braising
ProductSKU
BPBLY-02820|PNMDSSLT-00749|PNTEPBP-04060
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 to 3 pounds Pork Belly, skin removed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground
- 1/4 cup grapeseed oil, or clarified butter
- 1 bottle pinot noir, or other red wine
- 4 cups veal stock, or vegetable stock
- 1 rib celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 ounce fresh thyme leaves
- 6 teaspoons honey, light-flavored, like alfalfa
- Creamy Grits
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup white grits, or yellow grits, or polenta (not instant)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Directions
- Heat oven to 350-F. Using a very sharp knife, carefully split pork belly crosswise in half. Season both sides of both pieces with salt and pepper.Heat 2 tablespoons clarified butter in a large heavy skillet or 6-quart braising pan. Add one pork belly piece, fat side down. Cook until fat is nicely brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Turn pork belly piece over and brown the other side. Transfer pork belly to a plate
- discard fat in skillet or pan. Repeat browning with remaining 2 tablespoons clarified butter and pork belly piece. Discard fat from skillet or pan.With skillet or braising pan away from heat, add 1/3 cup wine. Return skillet or pan to heat and cook over low heat, scraping brown bots from bottom of pan
- remove from heat. If using braising pan, return pork belly pieces to pan. If using skillet, pour liquid from skillet into a 6-quart Dutch oven and add pork. To the pork, add remaining wine, stock, onion, celery, carrot, and thyme. Bring to boil and cover tightly.Bake in preheated oven for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Remove and let pork belly cool completely. Reserve braising liquid.Portion pork belly into 3 ounce to 4 ounce rectangle pieces. Place belly pieces in a large skillet or braising pan with enough braising liquid to cover.Reheat on stove top over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 155-F.To make grits: Bring heavy cream and water to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low. slowly stir in grits. Cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes until fully cooked. Stir in salt and pepper.
Recipe Note
Tips: For a cook who does not want to make their own clarified butter, use grapeseed oil because it too has a high smoke point and bland in flavor. | Serving Suggestions: Serve pork belly portions over a small mound of grits and drizzle with honey. If desired, drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons hot strained braising liquid and garnish with snipped thyme. Blog post: https://www.lobels.com/braised-pork-belly-with-creamy-grits-238
