Crispy Pork Lettuce Wraps With Spicy Cucumbers
A delicious Asian-inspired dish featuring crispy pork belly served with fresh lettuce wraps, spicy cucumber salad, and a flavorful gochujang-miso sauce. Perfect for a unique and interactive dining experience.
Ingredients
- •1 piece pork belly
- •1 to taste kosher salt and pepper
- •2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- •4 whole chiles de árbol
- •2 pods star anise
- •2 tablespoons soy sauce
- •2 whole Persian cucumbers
- •2 whole scallions
- •½ whole red chile
- •2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- •3 tablespoons gochujang
- •3 tablespoons white miso
- •1 head lettuce
- •½ bunch mint
- •½ cup kimchi
- •to taste gochujang
- •to taste miso-chile mixture
- •
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Diagonally score fat side of pork belly, cutting through fat but stopping at flesh and spacing about 1/4" apart. Season pork with salt and pepper and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let sit at least 2 hours, or chill up to 2 days.
120 min
- 2.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Unwrap pork and place in the smallest baking dish you can. Add chiles de árbol, star anise, soy sauce, remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and 1 1/4 cups water. Roast until most of fat has rendered, meat is tender, and top is browned and crisp, 2-2 1/2 hours.
150 min
- 3.
Meanwhile, toss cucumbers, scallions, red chile, and vinegar in a small bowl to combine. Mix gochujang and miso in another small bowl.
10 min
- 4.
Transfer pork to a cutting board; let rest 10 minutes. Pour off pan juices into a measuring glass. Skim fat from surface.
10 min
- 5.
Slice pork into 1/2" slices, transfer to a platter, and pour pan juices over. Serve with lettuce for wrapping and cucumber salad, mint, kimchi (if using), and gochugang-miso mixture for topping.
15 min
- 6.
Pork can be cooked 2 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Reheat before serving.