Yum! I love the classic cheese and broccoli flavor combo in this recipe with a crunchy topping. But the secret ingredients – cream cheese and mushrooms – takes it to super yummy!
Fire up a chimney of charcoal. Place a 12-inch camp Dutch oven over a solid group of hot charcoal. Add 3 tablespoons butter and diced onion. Stir until onions start to turn translucent - about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and stir until they are soft for another 2-4 minutes. Remove onion and mushrooms with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl.
Add 3 tablespoons butter. When the butter foams up, whisk in the flour until a brown and bubbly paste forms. Whisk in chicken stock and milk. Remove from charcoal. Add cream cheese and stir until cream cheese has melted into the sauce. Stir in grated nutmeg. Add onions and mushrooms.
Stir in cheddar cheese and grated parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add frozen broccoli florets and stir until cheese sauce covers all of the broccoli.
Sprinkle crushed croutons over the top of the broccoli. Place lid on the oven. Bake at 350F by placing 9 hot charcoals in a circle to fit underneath the 12-inch Dutch oven. Place 15 charcoals around the outside edge of the lid. Bake for 20 minutes. Rotate lid clockwise and oven counterclockwise. Check every 10 minutes. When croutons are golden brown and sauce is bubbling, remove from heat.
We first heard about pork belly from Forrest, a wonderful friend from the panhandle of Florida. He is a BBQ champ who knows his meat (he is a USDA inspector) and enjoys catering for large groups using his Dutch ovens. He told us that pork belly is one of his favorite cuts of pork to cook because it is so tender and juicy. Forrest is in good company – Bon Appetit describes pork belly as a favorite of chef’s because of its “incomparably rich texture and complex flavors.” And it is the cut of meat that is cured to make bacon. No wonder everyone loves it!
Thanks to Forrest, we had to make pork belly in our outdoor kitchen. I can’t believe we have never made it before! I’m so glad Forrest inspired us to pick up a pork belly and prepare this recipe. My fork cut through the pork like it was butter. And the sauce…. a perfect partner for the pork. Yummy! The sauce is surprisingly subtle and rich, thanks to the flavors of fennel and cardamom that simmer in white wine and chicken stock.
Thank you Forrest for introducing us to pork belly and to Gordon Ramsey for inspiring us to use new flavors and spices to make this super easy dish.
Score the fat-side of the pork belly by drawing the tip of a sharp knife across the fat to create a diamond pattern. The knife cut should be about 1/4 of an inch deep and only cut through the fat, not the pork. Sprinkle both sides of the pork with Kosher salt and ground pepper.
Make a solid pile of hot charcoal that is about 16 inches in diameter. Place a lid stand over the charcoal. Place a 14-inch camp Dutch oven on the lid stand over the hot charcoal. Add enough oil to cover the bottom of the oven with a thin layer. Sear the fat-side of the pork belly for several minutes, until the fat renders and turns golden brown, then flip and sear the other side. Remove and set pork belly on a plate.
Add chopped fennel and sauté for several minutes, then add garlic for another minute. Add star anise, bay leaves, and crushed cardamon pods.
Place seared pork belly on top of the fennel mixture with the fat-side up.
Sprinkle fennel seeds on top.
Pour white wine into the bottom of the oven. Let simmer for several minutes until reduced by about half.
Pour chicken stock into the bottom of the oven until the liquid comes half way up the meat but does not cover the fat.
When the wine and chicken stock come to a boil, cover oven with lid.
Make a ring of 11 hot coals to fit underneath the oven and place oven over the ring. Add 18 hot charcoals around the rim of the lid. Let the pork belly braise for about 2 hours. Replace the charcoal as needed to maintain 350-degree Fahrenheit throughout the braising process. Remove from heat when internal temperature of the pork is over 165 and the pork is fork tender.
Remove the pork from the oven and place on a cutting board to rest. Using a slotted spoon, remove and discard the fennel and spices. Pour remaining liquid into a glass bowl or measuring cup. Let the liquid sit for several minutes to allow the fat to rise to the top. Using a spoon, skim the fat off. Whisk in mustard. Slice the pork and serve with sauce. Enjoy!
Yum! I love the classic cheese and broccoli flavor combo in this recipe with a crunchy topping. But the secret ingredients – cream cheese and mushrooms – takes it to super yummy!
