Pan con Chicharron is a pork belly sandwich that is served as breakfast in the capital of Peru (Lima).
This is like a traditional breakfast, for the “Limeños” (people from Lima), this sandwich has the perfect balance between sour, sweet, acid and savory. I think it is a great way to eat pork belly.
INGREDIENTS
- 28 ounces pork belly
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup Inca’s Black Mint Paste
- 3 sweet potatoes
- 1 red onion
- 1 teaspoon limo chili pepper
- 4 cups vegetable oil
- Black pepper to taste
- Salt to taste
- 3 sprigs parsley
- 1 tablespoon lime juice to taste
- 240 g bread rolls (4 bread rolls)
PREPARATION
STEP 1
Prepare the brine in a recipient, by placing 2 liters of water and 2 heaped tablespoons of salt, stir until completely dissolved. Then place the pork belly in the brine, and leave to marinade in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours in order for the salt to penetrate the center of the meat. The brine will also help remove the excess of any potential impurities from the meat.
STEP 2
Remove the pork from the brine. Fill a pot with 2 liters of water and 2 tablespoons of salt and bring to a boil. Cut the meat into two and place it in the pot of boiling water, adding the mint and the bay leaf. Boil on medium heat for 1 hour of until the water has evaporated.
STEP 3
Leave the pork in the pot to fry in its own fat until golden. Peel, slice, and wash the sweet potatoes in order to remove excess starch.
STEP 4
Heat up half a cup of vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the sweet potato slices until they’re irresistibly crispy.
STEP 5
Prepare the salsa criolla relish with one julienned red onion, finely chopped limo chili pepper, finely chopped parsley, and lime juice and salt to taste.
STEP 6
Cut open the bread rolls. First, place a few of the fried sweet potato slices in the bread, and then follow with a generous serving of the chicharrón and finally top it off with the salsa criolla relish.
STEP 7
Enjoy with a hot cup of coffee or tea, and if you want to really feel like you’re in Peru, put on some traditional música criolla in the background to complete the scene.
Brine your pork belly in that way, it will be more tender.
When cooking it, render the fat and let it get crispy (remove the excess of fat and let it keep cooking). Don’t rush it, it has enough fat meaning that it won’t dry out easily.
Serve it with Sarsa Criolla otherwise, you will be missing the whole experience.
