Chinese Pork Belly Stir Fry

Recently, I went to pick up some grocery items and I found what I thought was bacon in the meat department.  I brought it home and while it looked like bacon, I realized it was not. On the package, it read Pork Belly. I decided to explore how I can cook the pork belly and researched the uses online. A common use is in Chinese cooking. I decided I had to try it. I was not disappointed. 

What is the difference between Pork Belly and Bacon? 

Pork Belly is uncured and comes from the underbelly of the pig. It is a cut of meat. (Now you know!) Bacon is a cured pork belly that is treated thus changing the complexity of the meat. I realized that Pork Belly should be treated as meat, and stir frying the meat is a great choice for flavor. You have to create brine to cook it in and I discovered how to stir fry the meat.

Ingredients 

2lbs of Pork Belly

Tsp of Ginger

3 Cloves of Garlic

1 tbsp or Rice Wine 

1 tbsp of Brown Sugar

2 tbsp of Honey (Hot or Reg)

3 tbsp of Soy Sauce

1/2 cup of scallions

Lemon Grass (Optional) 

You can cook the pork belly in chicken stock in a slow cooker. I prefer the stir fry method. It is messy, however the glaze and crispiness is worth the mess. You cook it like you would bacon. Drain the grease after it shrinks and starts to crisp. Add the soy sauce, rice wine/vinegar. After a few minutes as the pork belly crisps, add the brown sugar, honey, ginger, and garlic. 

Take the Pork Belly out of the pan and cut them into smaller strips. Crisp on a medium hit for one more minute to your liking. In a bowl add additional soy and honey to your liking to thicken the glaze. Top with scallions and lemon grass(optional) 

Serve and top on stir fried rice and enjoy. Also tastes great on it's own as a small meal.