Name: Burnt Clementine and Bourbon Braised Pork Belly Lollipops
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT1H5M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT8H0M0.000S
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients: 1 cup brown sugar; 1/2 cup chili powder; 1/2 cup kosher salt, plus more as needed; 3 tablespoons onion powder; 1 1/2 tablespoons ground white pepper; 1 tablespoon ground coffee; 6 clementines, halved; 3 stalks celery, rough chopped; 2 large carrots, rough chopped; 1 medium white onion, rough chopped; 5 pound skin-off pork belly, skin side scored (see Cook’s Note); 1 quart orange juice; 4 ounces bourbon; 2 ounces cooking oil; 2 tablespoons minced garlic (from 3 to 4 cloves); 2 to 3 bunches rainbow chard, stemmed and leaves sliced into 1- to 2-inch ribbons

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, using convection if available. If it is not available, you may need to increase to 400 degrees F depending on the power of your oven. If you’re uncertain, err on the side of a lower temperature, as you can always increase it and cook a little longer if necessary.
In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, chili powder, salt, onion powder, white pepper and coffee.
Whisk everything together until evenly dispersed. This is the pork belly rub.
Over an open flame on your range or grill, char the inside faces of the halved clementines until 50% charred. If you don’t have access to a flame, you can sear the insides with a large sauté pan over high heat. This helps the clementines hold up through the braise.
Line the bottom of a large baking dish with tall sides with the celery, carrot and onion (this is the mirepoix). Now add the clementines, charred side up.
Sprinkle 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the pork belly rub all over the pork belly. Place the pork belly on top of the mirepoix and clementines, skin side up.
Add the orange juice and bourbon. Pour this directly over the pork belly to help keep it moist while cooking. Cover with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. This helps seal in the moisture and adds a layer of protection if you were to accidentally rip the foil. Bake for 4 hours.
Uncover the baking dish carefully and remove the pork belly with two larger flat spatulas to a cookie sheet or another baking dish. Place another tray on top of the belly and weigh it down with some cans—the larger and heavier the better! Let press in the refrigerator for at least a few hours or up to overnight.
Remove and reserve the clementines and strain off the liquid, saving both. The onions, carrots and celery can be tossed or eaten; that is up to you.
Slice the pork belly into 3/4- to 1-inch-thick strips. You can cook them as strips or lay the strips flat and punch out lollipop rounds using a ring mold or small circular cookie cutter. (If you cut the rounds, all the scrap pieces seared off make a great taco filling or breakfast egg add-in.)
Either way, heavily sprinkle the pork belly again with the pork belly rub and drizzle with a very light amount of cooking oil.
Sear these in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, working in small batches as to not overcrowd the pan. Cook about 2 minutes, then pour in a small amount of the braising liquid. This deglazes the pan and helps steam through the pork itself, ensuring it remains incredibly juicy and flavorful. Be careful to not pour directly on top of the pork itself, as this will wash off the rub and inhibit a nice crispy, charred sear. Let deglaze for 10 to 15 seconds, then flip and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from the pan once the pork is hot through and has a nice sear. (The pork is already fully cooked, so your only goal is to get it hot through and achieve a nice, charred crust.)
In another large sauté pan over high heat, add the cooking oil and minced garlic. Sauté for 20 to 30 seconds, then add the chard and a sprinkle of salt. Mix aggressively to evenly disperse the garlic, about 30 seconds. Add the braising liquid from the pork belly in 1/2 cup increments, as needed. This will steam significantly and help wilt the chard. Only add as much as needed for the chard to wilt slightly, 1 to 2 minutes.
Serve the pork belly on top of the rainbow chard and squeeze the reserved clementines over the top.

Cook’s Note

We’re using skin-off pork belly here, but you can still tell which side the skin was on by its clean, pinkish-white color, compared to the underside, which should look much more like pink; raw pork you would see with loin, pork chop and other skinless cuts.