Fig Stuffed Pork Belly

 Fig Stuffed Pork Belly

 6 Servings | 15-minute Prep Time | 1.5-hour Cook Time | 2-hour or Overnight Rest Time

Ingredients

2.5 lbs. Pork Belly 

4 Slices of Bacon

1 Yellow Onion, medium chopped

3 Garlic Cloves, minced 

1 c. Dried Mission Figs, stems removed, roughly chopped 

2 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar

½ tsp. Ground Cinnamon

1 Tbsp. Ground Coriander 

1 c. Filtered Water

3 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

3 Tbsp. Breadcrumbs

1 Egg

2 Green Onions, for garnish, thinly sliced 

Microgreens, for garnish

Salt

Pepper

Instructions

Score the skin on the pork belly and rub thoroughly with salt. Let it rest in the refrigerator for at least two hours, overnight is preferred.

Preheat oven to 500°F.

Fry bacon until crispy in a medium fry pan over medium heat. Remove bacon from pan, set on paper towels to drain.

Add the chopped onion to the bacon fat, season with salt and pepper, and cook until translucent.

Add garlic to the onion and cook until fragrant. Remove from heat and store it in a bowl in the refrigerator to cool down.

Add the figs, balsamic vinegar, filtered water, brown sugar, cinnamon, coriander, and salt to a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the liquid is reduced by 2/3 and the figs soften.

Strain the figs from the liquid, saving both separately. Set the liquid aside for later use as a sauce.

Add the figs to the onion/garlic mixture in the refrigerator to cool.

Crumble the bacon. Add ¾ of the bacon to the onion mixture in the refrigerator.

Once the fig and onion mixture has cooled completely, add the egg and the breadcrumbs. Thoroughly mix until well combined.

Place the pork belly skin side down on a cutting board.

Spread the fig and onion mixture in a thin layer on the pork belly. Carefully roll the pork belly up to create a pinwheel. Secure every couple of inches with cooking twine.

Place pork belly wheel on a roasting rack in a roasting pan, standing up, twine knot side down.

Roast for 25 minutes at 500°F to crisp the skin.

Remove the pork belly from the oven and let it rest while you drop the oven temperature to 350°F.

Place the pork belly back in the oven and continue to roast for 50 minutes to 1.5 hours, or until the internal temperature is about 190°F. (Pork belly is safe to eat at an internal temperature of 145°F, but the fat begins to render down at 195-205°F, creating the “melt in your mouth” texture.)

Remove the pork belly from the oven and let it rest on a cutting board for 20 minutes. Slice and serve immediately with the fig sauce from earlier and the green onions and microgreens on top. Also great with roasted brussels sprouts.