Pork Belly Buns

Recipe courtesy of Ryan Walsh, Executive Chef, Arcola Country Club, Paramus, N.J.

For Pork Brine:

Chef's Note: Brine mixture can be made a day in advance. It is better to let sit for a day, so all flavors can marry.

In a saucepan, mix together the brining ingredients.
Bring up to temperature to dissolve salt on medium heat, but do not boil.
Once salt is dissolved, you can put it into a cambro and add equal parts of ice.
Place pork belly in the brining mixture and cover with a plate if necessary, to keep it fully submerged. You may need to transfer to a hotel pan or Lexan for better storage.
Brine for 18-24 hours.
Preset oven to 450 degrees. Transfer brined pork to a hotel pan with a wire rack inside. Sprinkle sugar over the top of each piece of pork belly and cook for 1 hour.
After the first hour, take any rendered fat and glaze the pork bellies. Turn oven down to 250 degrees and cook for another hour. After the pork is done cooking and has a nice glaze on the outer fat, place on rack and chill for 2 hours.
Cut chilled pork 1/4” thick and set aside.

For Pickled Vegetables:

Place sugar, water, rice wine vinegar and mirin in saucepan and bring up to heat so sugar dissolves, but do not boil. Place in cambro and chill with ice. Once pickling liquid is chilled, place in a bowl.
On a mandolin, julienne the carrot and cucumber. Place them in the pickling liquid and add cilantro to taste.

For Sauce:

Place Hoisin sauce, sesame oil and sriracha in a bowl.
Peel off the skin of the ginger and grate it into another bowl; add a little at a time to the sauce to taste.
Adjust all seasonings to taste.

To serve:

Use a steamer or hotel pan filled halfway up with water with a perforated pan inside (make sure water does not touch perforated pan). Boil the water, then turn down to medium heat. Place the buns in the steamer or on the perforated pan for 4 minutes, covered with plastic or foil so no steam escapes.
Once buns are steamed, they should split open like a clam. If not, gently split them into halves.
Turn flat top to medium-high, or use a non-stick pan over heat set to medium-high. Heat just one side of the pork belly, making sure to crisp up the fat.
Spread the sauce on both sides of the bun. Place one piece of pork and pickled vegetables inside.
Garnish with sliced scallions and serve.