Pork Belly & Scallop Started with Coffee Glaze

Chuck Hughes’ slow braised pork belly is paired perfectly with a delicate scallop drizzled with a thick coffee glaze.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hrs 35 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Easy, Moderate, Complex

Ingredients

  • For the pork belly:
    • 1/4 cup vegetable oil (60 ml)
    • 2 pounds fresh pork belly
    • 1 medium carrot, roughly chopped
    • 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
    • 1 onion, roughly chopped
    • 1 fennel bulb, quartered
    • 2 sprigs thyme
    • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns (5 ml)
    • 4 cups veal stock (1 l)
    • 1 cup hard cider (250 ml) or apple juice
  • For the scallops:
    • 4 large scallops
    • Salt and pepper
  • For the coffee glaze:
    • Braising liquid (about 2 cups)
    • 1 teaspoon black coffee (5 ml)
    • 1 tablespoon honey (15 ml)

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350 ˚F (180 ˚C). 
  2. For the pork belly: Season the pork belly with salt and pepper. On medium high heat, in half the oil, sear the meat in an ovenproof casserole dish on all sides (about 5 minutes).  Add the vegetables, thyme and peppercorns and continue cooking for another 5 minutes until caramelized.
  3. Add the veal stock and hard cider. Cover the casserole dish with a lid, or securely with tin foil, and braise the pork belly in the oven for 3 hours until tender.
  4. Remove the pork belly from the oven and set aside on a plate covered in aluminum foil. Strain the leftover liquid with a large sieve over a stockpot, discard the vegetables and skim the excess fat from the braising liquid.
  5. Heat a pan on high heat and add the remaining oil. Cut the pork belly into four equal pieces and sear on all sides until crispy, about 3 minutes.  Remove from pan and keep warm. Before this step, reduce the glaze.
  6. For the glaze: start by reducing the braising liquid by half for about 15 minutes on medium-high heat.  Add the coffee and honey and continue cooking for about 5 minutes until it thickens. You will know the sauce is done when it coats the back of a spoon.  Set aside.
  7. For the scallops: Season the scallops with salt and pepper. In the same hot pan as the pork belly, sear the scallops on both sides for about 1 minute.
  8. For Serving: drizzle the coffee glaze over the pork belly.  Top with a scallop. Season with sea salt and serve.