Pork Belly ‘Cuban’

Recipe courtesy of Matthew Blazey, Executive Chef, Hurstbourne Country Club (Louisville, Ky.)

Procedure for Cured and Roasted Pork Belly:

Start by trimming off unnecessary pieces and fatty segments of the pork belly so you're left with a more manageable, even belly, then cut in half.
Mix sugar, salts and ground pickling spice together and liberally season all sides of the belly.
If able, place each piece in the vacuum bag and seal. If you can’t vacuum the belly, simply wrap 2-3 times with plastic wrap. When secured, place both bellies in a perforated pan, place that pan inside a non-perforated pan and place another non-perforated pan on top of bellies and weigh with something heavy.
Allow your pork bellies to cure for 2 days, flipping them over each day. After the second day, remove bellies from wrapper or vacuum, rinse and roast covered at 300°F for roughly 2-2.5 hours. Be sure to check progress every 45 minutes to avoid over-cooking.
When tender, remove and let cool for a minimum or 3 hours. This allows the fats to solidify, making the portioning easier. When ready, portion the bellies into 1.5” cubes.
For service, dredge cubes in corn starch (this can even be done ahead of time or the night before and frozen) and fry in a 325-350° fryer until golden-brown.

Procedure for Gruyere Bechamel:

Add minced garlic and shallots to a heavy-bottom, 6-quart saucepot with a touch of salad oil and begin to caramelize.
Once golden (but not burnt), deglaze with wine and reduce to au sec (almost dry), then add cream, thyme and bay leaves and bring back to a simmer.
When at a simmer, slowly whisk in cheese until the sauce start to thicken.
When the sauce is at a nape consistency, strain, and reserve for service in refrigerator.
When ready for plating, gently warm bechamel over low heat and add to the bottom of the plate as shown.

Procedure for House Pickles;

Add all ingredients minus the cucumber to a small sauce pot and bring to a simmer. Allow to slowly simmer for 10 minutes so flavors and develop.
Remove from heat and add ice to not only cool, but to slightly dilute. If the mixture is still warm, wait until it has come to at least room temperature.
When at the right temperature, pour over cucumbers and place in an optimal sized deli container. Because the cucumbers are already sliced, this will help in the pickling timeframe.
After a minimum of 3 hours, the pickles are ready for service. When ready for plating, add pickles on top of the already honey mustard drizzled pork belly as shown.

Procedure for Hot Honey Mustard:

Procedure for Cornbread Crumble:

When the cornbread starter mix batter is ready, place in the desired cookware. (Chef's note: We used leftover cornbread muffins, which we serve with our chili.). Bake until a pick is clean coming out of the bread and allow to cool.
When cooled, crumble the cornbread onto a baking sheet and toast in a 350°F oven until crispy (about 5-7 minutes). Reserve for service in a dry place but do not refrigerate.
When ready for plating, simply crumble the cornbread over top of your plated dish.