Columbia – Chili Braised Pork Belly

It has been awhile since we traveled into Latin cuisines, and Colombia was a great place to do so again. I feel that when most people think of cuisines from Latin countries, Colombian cuisine is not one that typically comes to mind. I think that the usual thought would be Mexican food or maybe even Brazilian, if they are thinking in a different vain.

Much like many types of food, Latin cuisines resemble each other in subtle ways more than outright similarities. Sure, Colombians use chilies prolifically like Mexicans do, they play with notes of acidity in ways that can be found in Brazilian’s charutaria (Brazilian barbecue), and they are rooted in indigenous foods like Peruvian cuisine, but, as a whole, Colombian food is uniquely its own and contrasts other Latin cuisines.

If you do a quick Google search for Colombian recipes, you will likely see many options for a type of dish called a paisa, which is named after the region it comes from and can be thought of as a platter of meats, rice, and beans. So it seemed natural for us to work together to develop a cohesive idea for a paisa, just not the traditional Bandeja paisa.

Menu:

• White Rice
• Verde Chicken Rice
• Black Beans
• Pico de Gallo
• Chorizo
• Chili Braised Pork Belly
• Fried Plantains

The highlight of the meal was the pork belly, a delightful yet spicy pile of shredded pork and fat. Somehow, it had a slow heat and an in your face heat at the same time. My best guess as to how this happened is that the fat absorbed the capsicum more than the meat did, and the braisage (cooking liquid) imparted a softer delayed heat with the rest of the bite.

Due to the quantity of pork belly I needed to make, I had to veer from traditional braising methods that I prefer to use. In this case, I cut the belly into approximately three inch strips, which I salted and seared, then added to a roaster pan with the deglazed fond (crispy brown yum yums scraped from the bottom). For the cooking liquid, I added only water and a healthy supply of jalapeños, habaneros, and serranos. I made the conscious decision to use straight water for the braising liquid, in order to highlight the natural flavor of the chilies and belly.

Many people can only place the concept of pork belly in their minds with bacon. Thus, when they think of belly, they imagine the smoky taste of bacon. However, belly has a distinct, buttery-sweet flavor profile to it and I did not want to mask this profile with seasonings or flavor-rich stocks. I also wanted to present the subtle flavors of the chilies in the dish.

For those of you who shy away from spicy food, this dish is not for you, and the idea of any flavor besides heat may seem far stretched. But, there are nuanced and subtle flavor profiles to all chilies. For instance habaneros have a strong floral note to them, not like a rose petal quality, I would say more like a rosemary flower mixed with a bachelor button. Strong floral to start and a mild sweetness to finish. This unique combination, mixed with the sharp acidic quality of the jalapeño and direct heat of the serranos, enhanced the sweetness of the pork and, ultimately, the overall profile of the dish.

I know I usually link a recipe for the dishes I make but this week I made this on the fly, using experience in flavors and flavor building. But don’t fear, I will provide the basic guidelines for it at the end.

I would say that, with the exception of the pork, nothing stood out to me in a special way. but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t think it was good. On the contrary, I found the meal to be an amazing example of how powerful and impactful humble dishes can be when they are prepared and paired well. Which this whole meal was!

Sometimes, I think I can be seen as “snobbish” with food. Yes, I like fancy food. Yes, I like unique flavor combinations and extravagant platings. But I also like the simplicity of humble foods. My favorite foods of all time are stews and braises; taking the cheapest product and making a delectable and flavorful meal. Often, the most memorable meals and dishes are simple ones, not exotic or fancy ones. In fact, on the trip my wife and I took to Amsterdam, Belgium, and France last summer, it wasn’t the meal at a three Michelin star restaurant that I reminisce about the most– although I think about that meal and how amazing it was all the time. Instead, it is the “simple” meal prepared at De Kas– at their farm, with their own produce– in a way that experimented and played with the natural textures, flavors, and mouthfeel of each item.

I hope that the few words I share on a mostly weekly basis help in your exploration of food, culture, and experience. I have a deep passion for food from field to table and I wish to share that passion with you.