The Belly Chop

On my last trip into Butcher & Larder to pick up a lamb neck, Rob went back into the walk-in and brought out something that looked like a double-wide double-bone pork chop. As he got closer, I realized that it was pork, but not a pork chop. It was a rib-in, skin-on belly folded over onto itself, tied, and then the rib bones were frenched. It looks like a damned monstrosity – a wonderful monstrosity.

As Rob describes on his blog, this, as we called it, belly chop was an exercise in creative butchering – whimsy from the tip of a utility knife, but the basic elements of something familiar are still there. The belly and ribs are both regular players in our pork rotation, but I have never cooked them together and especially not like this.

Knowing that this cut of meat was basically a pork belly, my first thought cooking wise was a braise that added some balancing flavor. I had two thoughts, the first was a hot and sour braise with rhubarb, chilis and ginger that I had made with pork belly in the past, but the winner was something that would feature the belly chop a little more, something with pork and fruit. One of my favorite dishes from 2010 was a apricot/olive pork dish, but that was summer and this is most definitely winter. Fruit variety is sparse. Local apples are still in good shape and pork and apples are a natural pair.

Since we were still dealing with pork belly, I had a hard time not curing it. I did not want this to become another tiresome exercise in bacon wrapping. In actuality, I did not want bacon to really be a big part of the dish period. This was something different, but there are some advantages to curing the meat for a few days that extend past bacon making, so I cured the belly in salt, brown sugar, and pink salt for a few days before braising.

Cured Belly Chop

After a few days curing, the belly chop was browned and braised in equal parts apple cider and one of New Glarus’s new Unplugged Series beers, Apple Ale. The Apple Ale is not just your everyday Woodchuck Cider that people in college who didn’t drink beer drank. It is a beer that tastes more like ale than cider without letting you forget that it is an apple beer. Combined with the actual cider, onions, and spices, the apple ale fit in really well with this braise.

After braising for 4 hours and resting overnight in the braising liquid, I heated the belly chop and sliced it. Even after resting the belly chop, slicing proved treacherous. The crispy texture of the skin matched with the soft, fatty texture of the chop requires a more expert hand and a sharper knife than mine to cut the chop properly. Next time, I will slice before heating it to serve.

Once sliced, however ragged, we ate it with celery root latkes and cabbage/apple slaw. The latkes provided a nice crispy element to the plate and replacing potato with celery root adds another twist on a classic, so that the belly chop would not be lonely in that regard. The slaw was a sour and fresh bite against a crunchy latke and the rich, savory belly chop. Both the celery root and the apple matched really well with the cider/ale braised pork belly chop.

As alluded to above, the belly chop is a lesson in textural contrast. Crispy skin, fatty belly, and a bone to gnaw on. Flavors were like subtly apple-flavored pulled pork. I was hoping that by curing the chop, I would impact color and depth of flavor while avoiding making something as gluttonous as bacon wrapped ribs. Success was achieved. I was hoping that by braising the belly chop in beer and cider, I would get apple flavors, but also some maltiness. Success was achieved.

While this belly chop is delicious braised, my plan is to, in warmer months, request that Rob fabricates another. The next one will be rubbed with spices and smoked, not to make bacon, but to make incredible BBQ. With the textural contrasts and the stratum of meat and fat along with the connective tissue around the ribs, it seems like a cut that is absolutely destined for the low, slow, and smokey cooking medium.

The belly chop may never make the same everyday plate impact as the loin or chop, but rest assured, it is a very interesting piece to cook. If you are hosting a dinner party with people who love to cook and eat, this would certainly impress. However whimsical, it certainly passes the most important test. Does it taste good? Most definitely.