Kung Pao Smoked Pork Belly
The recipe for Kung Pao Smoked Pork Belly fuses two of my favorite things: smoked pork belly goodness with the sweet and spicy sauce of Kung Pao cuisine from Sichuan province in China.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds pork belly cubed
- Yellow mustard for slather
- 2 Tbs Kosher Salt
- 2 Tbs Black Pepper
- 1 Tbs Garlic Powder
- Sauce:
- 4 Tbs soy sauce
- 1 Tbs Chinese black vinegar or distilled white vinegar if unavailable
- 1 Tbs cornstarch
- 1 Tbs Sambal Oelek
- 1/3 cup peanut oil
- 2 small leeks white and light green parts only, cut into ¼-inch slices (about ½ cup total)
- 3 scallions whites finely minced, and greens finely sliced, reserved separately
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 Tbs fresh ginger minced
- 4 Tbs Shaoxing wine or dry sherry, if unavailable
- 2 Tsp sugar
- Garnish:
- 1 Tbs Sichuan peppercorns toasted in hot skillet for 30 seconds until fragrant ground using mortar and pestle
- 1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
- Reserved green parts from scallions
- 12 hot Chinese dry chili peppers seeded
Instructions
- Cube the pork belly into 1" pieces
- Cover with a base (I used mustard) and season with Salt, Pepper, and garlic powder mixture
- Set your smoker to 275° using Hickory for the smoking wood
- Set your pork belly inside the smoker on a wire rack for 3 hours or until they measure 190°
- You can spray the pork belly every hour with apple juice to keep moist
- After 3 hours (or 190°) pull the pork belly and set aside
- Mix the soy sauce, vinegar, cornstarch sambal oelek, Shaoxing wine, and sugar together and set aside.
- Saute' the leeks, green onion bottoms (white parts), garlic, and ginger in peanut oil until fragrant (1-2 minutes)
- Put pork belly in aluminum pan and cover with aromatics and sauce
- Cover and place back in your smoker for 30-60 minutes (or until the sauce thickens)
- Toss everything with the Sichuan peppercorns, tops of green onions, and peanuts
- Serve over rice or noodles
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