Pork Belly Benedict

Pork Belly Benedict (Inspired by the brunch menu at Mad Fox Brewing Company)

Ingredients:

(Roasted Pork Belly)

• 1.5 lbs pork belly, skin on
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tbsp minced garlic

(Cheesy Buttermilk Biscuits)

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 4 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes + 2 tbsp, melted
• 1-1/2 cups cold buttermilk
• 1 cup grated cheese (I used Colby Jack – use whatever you want!)

(Hollandaise Sauce)

• 1 stick butter
• 3 egg yolks (don’t forget your 2 whole eggs for poaching!)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Salt

Directions:

1. In a small dish, mix together brown sugar, salt, and minced garlic to form a rub for your pork belly.
2. Rub mixture into all sides of your pork.
3. Place pork on a clean dish and refrigerate over night.
4. Preheat oven to 500 degrees, and lightly grease a 9-inch round baking dish.
5. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda
6. Scatter the butter pieces evenly over the dry ingredients and cut in with a pastry cutter or fork, until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
7. Add the buttermilk and cheese, and stir until everything is incorporated
   ** Dough will be wet, sticky and a little lumpy.
8. Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, scoop mounds of dough and drop them onto a floured surface. Continue until you’ve scooped all of the dough
   ** You should get 8-9 mounds of dough.
9. Flour your hands, then, one at a time, pick up each piece of dough (coating with extra flour if necessary so you can work with it) and gently shape it into a rough ball. Shake off the excess flour and place the ball of dough in the prepared cake pan. Repeat with the remaining mounds of dough, until the cake pan is filled.
10. Gently brush the top of each biscuit with some of the melted butter (don’t press down and flatten them).
11. Bake for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 450 F.
12. Continue baking for 13-15 minutes, or until tops of biscuits are golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
13. Reduce oven temperature to 425.
14. Carefully remove layer of skin from your pork belly.
15. Place your pork belly fat-side-up on a clean baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.
16. Reduce oven temperature to 250, and roast for another 30-40 minutes. Remove from heat, and tent loosely with aluminum foil.
17. Quickly poach two eggs and lay them on a paper towel.
18. Put egg yolks in a heat-proof bowl and whisk until fully beaten.
19. Place the bowl over a small pot filled with about 1-inch of water.
20. Bring water to a simmer and whisk egg yolks continually until they are lightened in color, doubled in volume, and thick (do not allow the water to boil, and be careful not to scramble the yolks).
21. Lower the heat, and keep whisking the yolks.
22. Slowly add melted butter, whisking constantly.
    ** If you notice that the sauce begins to look grainy and slightly curdled, that is an indication that it is about to break. Immediately stop what you are doing and add a splash of cool water. Whisk vigorously until completely smooth. Resume adding butter.
23. Once the butter is fully incorporated, add a dash of salt and whisk in lemon juice.
24. Taste and add more salt and/or lemon juice as desired. Remove from heat.
25. Slice a biscuit in half and lay both halves on a plate.
26. Slice up a few pieces of your pork, and lay those on top of your biscuits.
27. Top each biscuit/pork combo with a poached egg.
28. Spoon Hollandaise sauce on top of everything.
29. Enjoy immediately!