Crispy pork jowl confit with Carolina barbecue sauce

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg pork jowl with skin
• 800 g pure farmstead pork lard
• 25 g unrefined coarse grey sea salt
• 2 tbsp pure brown cane sugar
• 1 tbsp ground sweet smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper powder
• 1 tsp cracked Kampot black pepper
• 4 cloves purple garlic clove
• 2 leaves dried bay leaf
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme sprig
• 250 ml Carolina barbecue sauce

Method

1. In a small bowl, mix the coarse grey sea salt, brown sugar, cracked black pepper, sweet smoked paprika and cayenne pepper.
2. Vigorously rub each pork jowl with this spice mix on all sides, focusing especially on the meat and the folds of the skin.
3. Place the seasoned pork jowls in a deep dish, cover with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface and refrigerate for at least two hours to firm up the meat and concentrate the flavors.
4. Remove the pork jowls from the fridge, rinse them quickly under a stream of ice-cold water to remove excess surface salt, then pat them very meticulously with paper towels so the skin is completely dry to the touch.
5. Preheat the oven to 120 °C conventional heat.
6. Lay the pork jowls flat in a cast-iron Dutch oven, skin-side up, then add the purple garlic cloves (simply crushed with the palm of your hand, skins on), thyme sprigs and dried bay leaves.
7. Gently melt the pure pork lard in a small saucepan and pour it into the Dutch oven until it completely covers the meat.
8. Cover the Dutch oven tightly with its lid and bake for three to three and a half hours, until a knife blade pierces the meat without any resistance and the skin becomes translucent and gelatinous.
9. Carefully remove the pork jowls from the hot fat bath using a slotted spoon, then place them on a wire rack over a baking sheet to drain for fifteen minutes.
10. Heat a dry cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
11. Place the pork jowls skin-side down against the smoking-hot bottom of the skillet, cover with a sheet of parchment paper and apply a heavy weight on top to ensure continuous, even contact.
12. Let brown without moving the meat for five to seven minutes, until the skin crackles intensely, blisters and becomes perfectly crispy, then flip the jowls meat-side down for one minute to warm them through.
13. Transfer the pork jowls to a wooden cutting board, let rest for two minutes, then slice each jowl into thick slices with a very sharp chef's knife to avoid breaking the crispy skin.
14. Plate the hot slices on warmed plates, drizzle generously with Carolina barbecue sauce and serve the remaining warm sauce in a sauceboat.

Nutrition

Per serving

Energy

774.2 kcal

Protein

54.9 g

Carbohydrate

20.36 g

Fat

52.57 g

Fibre

1.74 g

Calcium

42.41 mg

Iron

1.54 mg

Magnesium

23.64 mg