A fast path to Corduroy’s slow-cooked pork belly and cabbage
Among the many pleasures at Corduroy is chef Tom Power’s gorgeous pork belly, cured for two days in a slather of brandy, star anise, and Meaux mustard, then braised and served atop a bacony, wilted savoy cabbage. We challenged Power to reconceive his recipe for the home cook, using ingredients available at most grocery stores. Initially he balked. But after much fretting and lots of tinkering, he returned this streamlined version of his signature dish. The new recipe, which can be tackled in an afternoon, substitutes slab bacon for pork belly and uses a jarred gravy, but the resulting dish is as robust as we could hope for. You can find his original restaurant recipe at the bottom of the page.
Slab Bacon With Savoy Cabbage (Everyday Gourmet Version)
3 pounds slab bacon
1 bunch fresh thyme
½ cup red wine
4 stalks celery, chopped into thirds
2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
12-ounce jar Heinz Home Style beef gravy
16 ounces low-sodium chicken broth
1½ cups water
1 head savoy cabbage, chopped
1 onion, diced small
1 carrot, diced small
1 ounce bacon, diced
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the bacon, thyme, red wine, celery stalks, mustard, gravy, 12 ounces of the chicken broth, and the water in an ovenproof pan. Cover with foil and braise until tender, 4 to 5 hours. Remove the pan from the oven, let cool, then refrigerate.
Turn the oven to 450 degrees. Skim the top layer of fat from the braising liquid, then remove the meat from the pan. Pull the top layer of fat off the meat and cut into six portions. Rewarm the braising liquid over medium heat and strain over the meat. Place the meat and the sauce in a small roasting pan and cook, uncovered, until the meat develops a slightly crusty glaze.
Prepare the cabbage: Sweat the bacon, onion, and carrot over low heat until the onions are translucent—five to ten minutes. Add the cabbage and the remaining four ounces of chicken broth and braise until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot under the slab bacon.
Pork Belly With Savoy Cabbage (Restaurant Version)
3 pounds fresh raw pork belly
1 ounce brandy
8 pods star anise
6 teaspoons whole grain mustard
1 bunch fresh thyme
3 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
6 cloves garlic, pounded
16 ounces veal stock
4 carrots, 3 chopped, 1 diced small
2 onion, 1 chopped, 1 diced small
1/2 head celery
1 head savoy cabbage, chopped
1 ounce bacon, diced
Cure the pork belly by rubbing it with the brandy, star anise, mustard, thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic. Cover and let cure in the refrigerator for 48 hours.
After the pork belly has cured, preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Place the pork belly in an ovenproof pan and cover thoroughly with 12 ounces of veal stock. Add the 3 chopped carrots, the chopped onion, and celery. Cover with foil and braise in the oven for 4 to 5 hours or until tender. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool, then place the pan in the refrigerator. Remove the top layer of fat from the braising liquid. Remove the meat from the liquid, cut the top layer of fat off the meat, and cut into 6 portions.
Turn the oven to 450 degrees.
Warm the braising liquid and strain the sauce over the meat. Place the meat and the sauce an ovenproof pan, and let cook uncovered, periodically basting the sauce over the meat, until it develops a slightly crusty glaze.
Prepare the cabbage: Sweat the bacon, onion, and carrot over low heat until the onions are translucent—5 to 10 minutes. Add the cabbage and 4 ounces of stock and braise until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot under the pork belly.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
