Braised pig tails with red beans

Ingredients

• 1.8 kg fresh pig tails, cut into chunks
• 500 g dried red beans
• 200 g beechwood-smoked pork belly
• 2 pieces yellow onions
• 2 pieces seasonal carrots
• 5 cloves garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp duck fat
• 2 tbsp no-salt-added double-concentrated tomato paste
• 30 cl full-bodied dry red wine
• 1.2 l artisanal chicken broth
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme sprigs
• 2 leaves dried bay leaves
• 1 tbsp aged red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp coarse grey sea salt
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley

Method

1. The day before, place the dried red beans in a large bowl, cover them generously with fresh, filtered water, and let them soak in the refrigerator for at least twelve hours.
2. The next day, submerge the pig tail chunks in a large pot filled with cold, unsalted water. Bring to a rolling boil and maintain a vigorous boil for five minutes to draw out impurities, then immediately drain the meat and rinse it under a stream of warm water.
3. Cut the smoked pork belly into thick lardons, slice the yellow onions, slice the seasonal carrots evenly on the bias, and crush the peeled garlic cloves with the flat side of a knife.
4. Melt the duck fat in a large cast-iron Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the lardons and saute for five minutes until they are well browned and crispy, then remove them with a slotted spoon, leaving the rendered fat in the pot.
5. Increase the heat to high and place the blanched pig tails in the smoking fat. Sear them on all sides for eight to ten minutes until they develop a beautiful caramelized crust, then set them aside on a plate with the lardons.
6. Lower the heat to medium, then toss the sliced onions and carrots into the cooking juices. Sweat them for six to eight minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, until the onions become translucent and slightly softened.
7. Add the crushed garlic and double-concentrated tomato paste. Toast the mixture for two minutes, stirring vigorously to cook off the raw tomato acidity and deepen the aromatic base.
8. Turn the heat up to maximum and pour in the dry red wine to deglaze the Dutch oven. Let it bubble and reduce by half for about four minutes, until the alcohol vapors dissipate and the liquid becomes syrupy.
9. Return the pig tails and lardons to the Dutch oven. Drain the soaked red beans, rinse them quickly, and arrange them around the meat along with the fresh thyme sprigs and dried bay leaves.
10. Pour in the hot artisanal chicken broth to submerge the ingredients. Crush the black peppercorns, add them to the liquid, and bring everything to a very gentle simmer.
11. Cover the Dutch oven tightly and braise over very low heat or in a preheated 140 °C oven for about two and a half hours. The meat should become meltingly tender and practically fall off the bone.
12. Thirty minutes before the end of cooking, lift the lid and gently stir in the coarse grey sea salt without crushing the beans, then continue simmering so the beans absorb the salt to their core.
13. Check the texture of the beans and meat. If the sauce still seems too thin, temporarily remove the meat and reduce the juices uncovered over medium heat for a few minutes until they reach a thick, coating consistency.
14. Off the heat, pour in the aged red wine vinegar, then gently swirl the Dutch oven in a circular motion to emulsify the sauce with the natural collagen without breaking the beans.
15. Plate the hot stew in a deep bistro dish or serve it directly from the Dutch oven, then sprinkle the surface with finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley.

Nutrition

Per serving

Energy

1040.9 kcal

Protein

81.33 g

Carbohydrate

56.8 g

Fat

51.7 g

Fibre

13.84 g

Calcium

91.72 mg

Iron

6.51 mg

Magnesium

134.71 mg