Crispy Pork Belly "Schnitzel"

With the world's best marinade (if any, stay for the marinade recipe)

I love pork belly - not cured for bacon or smoked for lardons, but pure, fatty, raw pork belly marinated and simply cooked. When sliced thinly, it cooks up quickly, absorbs flavors well, and eats like heaven. Lately, my local grocer has been putting packaged sliced raw pork belly on sale, so I decided to pick some up and whip up a quick recipe for the team at the restaurant. They were not disappointed.

The marinade in this recipe is the best of balanced flavors: sweet, salty, punchy and rich with umami. You can use this for grilled meats or chicken as well. It goes great as a glaze on seafood when added right at the end, so if you want to forgo the pork portion of this recipe, save the marinade/sauce for other dishes.

The only element of this dish that takes time is the breading of the pork belly. Shallow frying the pork is quick and simple.

Ingredients:

For the marinade

2 limes - zested and juiced

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 tablespoon honey

3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tablespoons grated ginger fresh (use a microplane or grater)

2 garlic loved grated (use a microplane or grater)

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1 tablespoon avocado oil (or olive oil)

2 tablespoon ketchup

Remaining ingredients

1 lb raw sliced pork belly

2 eggs beaten

2 cups flour (season with 2 tablespoons salt and 1 tablespoon pepper)

4 cups panko bread crumb

fresh chives or scallions to garnish

For frying, 1 quart (or liter) of avocado oil, ghee, or bacon fat. You can use olive oil, but the flavor will be a bit fruity (which is fine).

Steps:

Mix your ingredients for the marinade and allow the pork to soak in this for at least 15-20 minutes. You can do this for up to 2 hours; however, any longer, the acid will begin to denature the proteins in the pork.

I made extra for the crew

Put your flour in a bowl, beat your eggs in a bowl, and put the panko in a larger bowl. Line up your ingredients like an assembly line - pork, flour, eggwash, panko.

Dredge your pork pieces (one at a time) in the flour, shaking off any excess flour, then the eggwash (make sure it covers the whole piece, then the panko. Place each piece on a sheet pan until complete.

Transfer the project to the stove. In a large sauce or saute pan, bring your oil up to medium-high heat. Test the temperature by putting a small edge of the pork in the oil. If it immediately sizzles, it’s ready, if not, allow it to got a bit hotter. You DON’T want the oil smoking, so if it begins to smoke, turn the heat off for a minute then back onto a lower setting.

Fry your pork in the oil on all sides, then transfer to a baking sheet and finish in a 375F oven for 10 minutes.

Once the pork is complete, it’s ready to eat! I love squeezing some fresh lemon over the pork, fresh herbs and sea salt and eating as-is. You can also make a sandwich with this. Toss some cabbage in mayo and vinegar and toast a baguette for the perfect crispy pork sandwich.