The Best Belly

I just finished tonight’s dinner (literally like five minutes ago), and boy am I happy! It was a very special meal, especially considering it’s just some random Tuesday night. Why so special? Well, my friend and fellow food blogger, Michael (he’s the Chicken Fried Gourmet), came to New Orleans with his wife last weekend. We all had lunch on Saturday, and afterward he surprised me with a nice, chilly slab of marinated pork belly for the road.

The belly was vacuum-sealed. He’d already cooked it, but not before marinating it in some of my peanut butter dulce de leche.

Sound strange? I’ll admit it’s a little unorthodox (peanut butter and pork), but that’s just Mike. He keeps you guessing, and will surprise you over and over again.

It’s never surprising, however, how good the food turns out. He’s actually made this on his blog before (his pic is better than mine).

Mike gave me very simple instructions, “Crisp it up a little in a nice hot pan. Then, drizzle on a little of this.” He handed me a small bottle of his homemade BBQ sauce.

I felt so special, like I had a secret to keep. Honestly, I had to fight the impulse to tuck the foodstuff under my shirt and speed away.It sat in my fridge for a few days, but it was always on my mind. I knew tonight was the night.

I’d never cooked pork belly before, so I was a little intimidated. Plus, I knew Mike could cook this stuff in his sleep, and (of course) he’d be reading this post. It had to be good. It had to do Mike proud.

I melted a little butter into a little olive oil in a pan. When it was nice and hot (just under the smoking point), I added the belly. It seared for about five minutes on one side, and another five on the other side.

I sliced the belly into two inch cubes, and plated it on top of a silky, smooth sweet potato puree. A swirling drizzle of BBQ sauce later, and this dish was ready to ascend into heaven.

It took five minutes for me to finish off the plate. It was so good, in fact, that I ate it all.

Now that I review this entry, I don’t think I did the preparation (all of Mike’s hard work) justice. I may get him to guest post with the details. If you’re feeling jealous, good! This was amazing.