Slow Roasted Pork Belly With Fava Bean Purée

Having some day's off gave me a chance to fire up the smoker. Pork belly is a cheap cut of meat that requires a long cooking time. You can of course make bacon out of pork belly, but frankly there is such delicious gourmet brands out there that the the time spent is not worth it. However, smoked pork belly is another matter. It is so delicious that you will become addicted. A little goes a long way. I paired the dish with fresh seasonal fava bean purée. The season for fava beans are so fleeting that you have to get them quick. Peeling them is a time consuming affair. After they are peeled little effort is involved. So have patience you will be rewarded for your efforts.

First thing is that you will have to marinade the pork belly. The following is the ingredients.

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup of good scotch whiskey
1/4 cup of honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon of mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons of fresh grated ginger
1 minces Fresno chile
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 large garlic clove minces
1 teaspoon of onion powder

Vacuum sealing is best. But if you do not have one just suck out as much air as possible from a heavy duty plastic bag. Marinade overnight in refrigerator.

Drain belly from marinade and place marinade in sauce pan. Boil marinade for a minute or two. You will use this to brush on your belly every thirty minutes.

Fire up your smoker and bring the temperature to 250 degrees. I used apple wood. Alder would also be good. Make sure your water pan is always full. You can even fill the water pan with apple cider. Smoke for three and one half hours. Pork should be about 195 degrees. Make sure to check your smoker every thirty minutes to see if you have enough chips and moisture. At this time you will baste with marinade. Allow the fully cook belly to rest before cutting.

To make the purée you will have to peel your beans. If you have never peeled fava beans it requires a fair amount of time and effort to peel. The first peeling removes the heavy outer shell. Then in salted boiling water place these beans in the water for thirty seconds. Drain and remove the second shell. To make the purée you will place some olive oil in a sauce pan. Place the beans and one minced clove of garlic. Sauté until tender. Place in a food processor with a little bit of stock. Purée. Now add salt, pepper, fresh thyme leaves, smoked paprika and a splash of lemon to your taste.