Agave-Glazed Pork Belly with Grilled Pineapple

Made this over the weekend. I was afraid it would be too hot (spicy) but it was perfect. I did take the seeds out of all the peppers. It might have been spicier had I left them in the mix. The pineapple was the perfect pairing. I did the final cooking on a gas grill. Next time, will try doing it on my Traeger.

• jh183116

• Texas

• 11/26/2019

Oh, wow. I have been making a lot from the Hartwood cookbook and this has been one of my favorite recipes. I braised the pork belly on Saturday, then grilled on Sunday with the pineapple and served with corn tortillas and a jicama salad. While this was exceptional, the pork belly was awfully rich (I know, what a surprise). You do need fat to go with the sweet agave and spicy peppers (not to mention the char on the grill), but I might try this with country style pork ribs next time, to see if it also works with something a little less intense than pork belly.

• lschmidt

• Portland, OR

• 5/10/2016

OMG, this was incredible! We just started it in the morning and it was done well in time for dinner. We didn't even have the glaze (my husband accidentally left it boiling until it burned), and it was still incredible! (it would have been too hot for our kids with the glaze anyway, so it worked out fine) We shredded the meat and had it on fresh tortillas with the pineapple chunks and avocado and the roasted peppers. Heaven! We'll definitely be making this each time we're lucky enough to score a belly from our meat CSA.

• Stasigrace

• houston, tx

• 2/19/2012

This dish turned out amazing. Skipped the two day process and just seared the braised pork belly and pineapple in a skillet to finish the pork off and carmlize the pineapples. Mixed the braised peppers with mashed plantains as the base for the dish. Would have done more poblanos, they were so damn good.

• hobbsc2002

• Washington, DC

• 1/14/2012

Loved it. Got the pork belly from my local Asian Grocer. Braised all day in the electric roaster & mostly followed the recipe after that. Only thing I did different was use the charred pineapple and peppers to make a salsa for the tacos. Doing it again real soon.

• Anonymous

• Gig Harbor, WA

• 8/9/2011

Have you ever tried to find pork belly in Bellingham, WA? I ended up using a "similar" cut. I toned down the habaneros for the kids' sake. I wrapped it in heavy foil and baked it in my roaster. We ate it that night...no over-nighting, no grilling. The meat was tasty and the glaze was very good.

• phoeb

• Bellingham, WA

• 8/8/2011

Although the glaze was delicious the pork itself was mediocre. The meat was tasteless and the texture was mushy. Even if this dish only took one hour to cook I would not make it again.

• Anonymous

• Baltimore, MD

• 7/21/2011

This recipe was so delicious. I braised it the night before then cooked it on the grill. Would make a note to place braising liquids in jar to cool overnight. Skim fat off of top, then strain and boil down. This will help alleviate flare ups on grill. I did not slice meat before grilling. Instead I grill whole slab and brushed with reduced glaze. Then we Shredded meat and made tacos, using corn tortillas, the chopped, grilled pineapple and sprinkled with some chopped cilantro and finely chopped white onion. I will make this again and again. It can also be made in advance for a party. Loved the recipe and the photo of the outdoor kitchen. Am Hoping to do a similar type kitchen at my ranch in Blanco, Texas.

• Anonymous

• 7/14/2011

This was really good, although fairly epic time-wise. I had a much bigger piece and ended up cooking it for 9 hours. Agreed that you should chill the sauce and at least skim the fat, which will have separated. Dn't hesitate to serve the sauce itself with the meat alongside the vinegar- it's a little extra decadence that goes over nicely.

• futurelad

• montreal

• 7/6/2011

This recipe was so delicious. I braised it the night before then cooked it on the grill. Would make a note to place braising liquids in jar to cool overnight. Skim fat off of top, then strain and boil down. This will help alleviate flare ups on grill. I did not slice meat before grilling. Instead I grill whole slab and brushed with reduced glaze. Then we Shredded meat and made tacos, using corn tortillas, the chopped, grilled pineapple and sprinkled with some chopped cilantro and finely chopped white onion. I will make this again and again. It can also be made in advance for a party. Loved the recipe and the photo of the outdoor kitchen. Am Hoping to do a similar type kitchen at my ranch in Blanco, Texas.

• Anonymous

• Austin, Texas

• 7/5/2011