Pork Belly Pastrami on Biscuits with Strawberry-Bourbon Preserves
- Yield: 24 biscuit sandwiches
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 24 servings
- Calories
- 787
- Total Fat
- 58
- Saturated Fat
- 23
- Carbohydrates
- 41
- Dietary Fiber
- 2
- Sugar
- 23
- Protein
- 12
- Cholesterol
- 89
- Sodium
- 529
- Total: 3 days 20 hr 30 min (includes cooling, brining and drying times)
- Active: 50 min
Ingredients
Pork and Brine:
1 1/2 cups Morton's kosher salt
1 cup bourbon, such as Old Forester
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 1/2 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) Prague Powder Number 1 or Instacure Number 1 curing salt
2 tablespoons Woodford Reserve Sassafras and Sorghum Bitters
1 tablespoon pickling spice
5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
5 pounds pork belly
Spice Mixture:
2 tablespoons toasted coriander seeds, crushed
2 tablespoons black peppercorns, crushed
1 tablespoon bourbon-smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
Strawberry-Bourbon Preserves:
6 cups quartered, hulled strawberries
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon bourbon, such as Old Forester
Biscuits:
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
2 cups buttermilk
Directions
Special equipment:
a smoker, applewood chips and an instant-read thermometer- For the pork and brine: In a large stockpot, combine 1 gallon of water with the kosher salt, bourbon, granulated sugar, brown sugar, honey, curing salt, bitters, pickling spice and garlic. Bring to a boil and then refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, add the pork belly to the brine and refrigerate for 48 to 72 hours.
- Remove the pork from the brine (discard the brine) and rinse the pork with cold water. Pat the pork dry, then put it on a baking sheet and refrigerate it overnight, uncovered, to dry out.
- The next day, prepare a smoker with applewood chips.
- For the spice mixture: Combine the coriander, black peppercorns, paprika and red pepper in a small bowl. Rub the pork with the spice mixture.
- Smoke the pork at 180 degrees F until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the pork reads 155 degrees F, about 3 hours.
- For the strawberry-bourbon preserves: Combine the strawberries, brown sugar and 1 cup of the bourbon in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring often, and cook until the jam is reduced and thick, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Finish with the remaining 1 tablespoon bourbon. Let cool.
- For the biscuits: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a food processor. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse until the butter is in little specks. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, pour in the buttermilk and mix by hand. Scrape the biscuit dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat it down with your hand until it is 1/2 inch thick. Cut the dough into about twenty-four 2-inch circles with a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass and place the circles on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until puffed and golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
- To assemble the sandwiches: Thinly slice the smoked pork belly pastrami and saute it briefly in a skillet over medium heat. Slice the biscuits and spread both sides with the preserves. Fill the biscuits with the sliced pork belly.