Midwest Bipbimbop with Pork Belly
- Level: Advanced
- Yield: 4 servings
- Total: 13 hr 45 min (includes overnight chilling)
- Active: 1 hr
Ingredients
Pork Belly, recipe follows, sliced
3 cups mushrooms (whatever type you prefer), sliced
Salt and pepper
4 cups cooked jasmine rice
1 cup Cucumber Pickles, recipe follows
1/2 cup Ssamjang, recipe follows
4 soft-boiled eggs, cooled and peeled
2 radishes, thinly sliced
Baby greens, for garnish
Pork Belly:
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ancho chile powder, optional
1 teaspoon guajillo chile powder, optional
1 teaspoon smoked paprika, optional
2 bay leaves, crushed
1 pound pork belly
Cucumber Pickles:
2 large cucumbers, sliced thin
1/2 yellow onion, sliced thin
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
Ssamjang:
1 cup gochujang (fermented chile paste; found at any Asian market)
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted
3 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
2 tablespoons honey
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
Directions
- Heat a medium skillet and add Pork Belly to sear off, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from skillet. In same skillet, add mushrooms to saute in rendered pork fat. Season with salt and pepper as desired. To serve, add 1 cup of rice to a medium serving bowl. Top with three to four slices pork, 1/4 cup Pickles, 2 tablespoons Ssamjang, 1 egg, 7 to 8 slices radishes and a quarter of the cooked mushrooms. Garnish with some baby greens. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 3 more servings.
Pork Belly:
- In a small bowl, mix together salt, brown sugar, pepper, chile powders, if using, smoked paprika and bay leaves. Pour over pork, rubbing mix into meat. Wrap pork in plastic and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
- Remove plastic from pork belly. Rinse off excess seasoning under cold water, then place pork on a wire rack in a sheet pan. Place in oven and cook until golden brown and meat begins to pull apart with a fork, about 4 hours. Let cool, then slice.
Cucumber Pickles:
- In a small bowl, toss cucumbers and onion with salt. Refrigerate 1 hour, then drain excess liquid. Meanwhile, in a small saucepot, add vinegar, granulated sugar, peppercorns, bay leaf and 1/2 cup water and place on medium heat. Bring to a boil to dissolve sugar, then remove from heat. Allow to cool, then add to salted cucumbers and onions. Let sit overnight in fridge to pickle.
Ssamjang:
- In a small bowl, combine gochujang, sesame seeds, sesame oil, ginger, honey and garlic until fully incorporated.