Pork Belly

I learned how to make pork belly from Jason Fox. Everybody’s cooking pork belly these days, but everyone’s also using heirloom tomatoes when they’re in season—no need to overthink things that are irresistibly delicious. I deviate from conventional braising liquids like chicken stock and white wine in favor of the Chinese method of employing a “master sauce”—a fortified stock achieved by reusing the same sauce over and over. Some Western cooks find this gross, but to me, wasting perfectly good meaty broth is gross. The concentrated braising liquid results in a richer flavor, so if you’ve got it, flaunt it.