Pork Belly Char Siu Recipe

"The dish had a little bit of sweet notes, but the way that [the] flavors were together with the hoisin, sesame, and red creme actually had a bitter flavor to it. When you first see it, you think it's gonna taste like candy."

Servings: 8
Prep time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 day

Ingredients

For the five spice:
3 tablespoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons anise seeds
1 ½ teaspoons fennel seeds
1 ½ teaspoons whole black peppercorn
¾ teaspoon ground cloves

for the marinade:
3 cups|710 ml Big Shot Red Cream soda
1 cup|237 ml hoisin sauce
½ cup|120 ml honey
½ cup|120 ml soy sauce
4 tablespoons hot sauce
4 tablespoons powdered ginger
4 tablespoons powdered onion
2 tablespoons powdered garlic
2 tablespoons five spice powder

To cook the pork belly:
4 pounds|1814 grams pork belly, portioned into 4-5 ounces
12 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons five spice powder
3 cups kosher salt

Directions

1. Make the five spice mixture. Combine all ingredients in blender or coffee grinder. Blend until finely ground. Store in airtight container.
2. Mix the marinade thoroughly in a bowl. You can substitute fresh ginger and garlic for powdered ginger and garlic if you wish. Marinate the meat for at least 24 hours in a metal bowl or Ziplock bags. Do not discard the marinade. Save for later. (Don't marinate in a plastic bowl. The coloring might stain it).
3. Place the leftover marinade in a pot and reduce on low heat until it becomes thick.
4. Heat the oven to 350° F. Arrange a pot or pan on the bottom of the oven, and fill the pan with water. The pork belly should be roasted using the rack above it. Pull the pork belly out of the marinade, save the marinadefor later use. Using a paper towels pat dry the pork belly. Make some horizontal slits on the sides of the belly, then insert each garlic and push them deep in so they don't burn. Rub the meat side with the five spice powder. Then layer the top of the pork belly with the salt evenly.
5. Meanwhile on a medium–low setting, place the leftover Big Shot marinade and reduce the Big Shot to ¼ of the volume and set aside.
6. Place the pork belly on a wire rack, right above the pan of water, for 1 hour. While baking, the oil will drip to the bottom pan with water. Bake until the salt crust forms, the salt should be hardened. Check water in the pan below and add if needed. Remove the pork belly from the oven, pull off the salt crust and discard. Raise the heat of oven to 450° F, place the pork belly back in and roast for another 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let set for 10 minutes. Dip the pork belly into reduced big shot glaze and serve immediately.

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