Recreating Tacos de Panza from Big Star

Has anyone tried this? I was looking to give this a go tomorrow but I'm wondering what to braise the pork belly with.

Ok, so I went for it. I couldn't find anything online about braising pork belly for tacos, so I ended up winging it.

First, I put a 'dry rub' of cumin, paprika, and cayenne on the 2.5lb belly after cutting it into thirds. I then let it sit in the fridge overnight.

I left the skin on and I seared the pieces of belly on all sides in my Le Creuset dutch oven over a medium high flame. I then put the belly to the side and added my mirepoix (celery, yellow onion, and carrots) to the pot. I added some salt, pepper and a bit of cumin while they were in. After they softened up a bit, I threw the belly back in and added enough chicken stock to cover the belly. I also added a fair amount of adobo paste to the stock.






I then covered it and threw it in a preheated 350 oven for about 3 hours, checking periodically and flipping the belly. Some of the braising recipes I saw online mentioned to skim off any fat on the surface when checking, but I didn't notice too much so I didn't bother.



After about three hours, I uncovered it and turned the broiler on low to help crisp up the skin a bit (maybe 10-15 minutes). I then pulled it out, removed the belly and took out all the veggies so that I could reduce the sauce more.





I basically pulled the belly (removed some of the excess fat) and placed it back into the pot with the sauce after it had reduced. I then covered it and kept it over a low flame on the stove until ready to serve.



It certainly wasn't spot-on, but I'd have to say it was pretty damn good.



(Sorry for the terrible cell phone pics. I have no idea why I didn't get out the DSLR.)

Great job improvising on the recipe, the pictures actually made me hungery.

That looks great!

Dumb question, what are the toppings on the taco?

Where did you buy the pork belly?

I'd try toasting, reconstituting and purreing some guajillo chiles along with a can of tomatoes and use that in the braising liquid. The look good either way.

P. Channon wrote:That looks great!

Dumb question, what are the toppings on the taco?

Where did you buy the pork belly?

My guess is queso fresco & cilantro.

P. Channon wrote:Where did you buy the pork belly?

Mexican grocers usually have pork belly available. Cermak Produce #4 on North always has it in the butcher case, that's where I purchase mine when I make a similar recipe.

Thanks pairs4life & dizzy!

This might become a project in a couple weeks...

pairs4life wrote:

P. Channon wrote:That looks great!

Dumb question, what are the toppings on the taco?

Where did you buy the pork belly?

My guess is queso fresco & cilantro.

And onions.

I actually picked up the belly on my way home from Cincinnati at a ridiculous grocery store called Jungle Jim's (which I think has been mentioned on this board a few times).

I like the idea of the guajillo chiles and tomatoes, might have to try that next time.

This thread from a few weeks ago inspired me to make pork belly tacos at home as well.

I went to The Butcher & Larder to pick up about 3.25 pounds of pork belly:


I then cut the belly up into 12 squares and put a Mexican spice rub on them before letting them sit for about a half an hour to get to room temperature and absorb the spices a little bit:


I chopped up some celery, carrots, and onions for my mirepoix:


I then seared the pork belly in my clay pot:


In the meantime, I started soaking some black beans that morning to be served as a side dish with the tacos:


I then put the pork belly in the oven at 350* for about 3 hours, flipping and stirring the contents every half hour or so. After three hours it came out looking like the following:


I removed the belly, then strained the braising liquid multiple times before reducing it for about 30-40 minutes:


After the mixture reduced, I cut away some of the very fatty parts of the pork, and pulled out the flavorful meat and placed it back in the pot. I cooked/fried the pork in the reduced liquid which really crisped up the meat:


Meanwhile, I put the black beans in the oven for about 2 hours to cook:


I put the pulled pork on a fresh Whole Foods bakery tortilla and served it with queso fresco and cilantro, with the black beans on the side:


The Verdict:
These where some great tacos. They didn't turn out the same as Big Star, whose belly comes out essentially in cubes and more fried. That doesn't mean these weren't good...in fact the pork belly meat was incredible and very tender and you don't really need to put too much in toppings on it as the meat is really the "star" of the show. A possible idea for next time though would be to put some grilled pineapple on it like another one of Big Star's tacos. I also want to experiment more with Pork Belly and make a few other recipes with it.

interesting thread,

I have had the big star pork belly tacos a few times, and I think they are using a cooking method more similar to lechon kawali which allows them to keep the belly in chunks vs shredded. Just a guess.

Re: the pork belly from B & L, I was going to get some about a week ago from them until they told me it was $8/lb.

I went with my usual source, H-Marts pork belly for my recipe.

jimswside wrote:interesting thread,

I have had the big star pork belly tacos a few times, and I think they are using a cooking method more similar to lechon malabon which allows them to keep the belly in chunks vs shredded. Just a guess.

Re: the pork belly from B & L, I was going to get some about a week ago from them until they told me it was $8/lb.

I went with my usual source, H-Marts pork belly for my recipe.

Thanks jimswside. To be honest I didn't ask how much the belly cost before Rob cut it for me. I think it cost about $20-25ish for 3 pounds, so I guess you're right. In my opinion, the quality of the meat sold at B&L makes me somewhat price adverse. Esp. when I get into "fringe" cuts of meat.

Not sure how it's done at Big Star but I have seen them made the following way to stay in chunks or thick slices-

Braise whole belly and chill overnight in braising liquid. Next day slice the cold belly into chunks or thick slices and pan or deep fry til crispy.

Jeff

jvalentino wrote:Not sure how it's done at Big Star but I have seen them made the following way to stay in chunks or thick slices-

Braise whole belly and chill overnight in braising liquid. Next day slice the cold belly into chunks or thick slices and pan or deep fry til crispy.

Jeff

Ahhh....interesting...that makes sense. Thanks!

First post. Found this forum while searching about tacos de panza from my visit to Chicago. Also found this video below with Chef Justin cooking tacos de panza live!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrX762u1lnQ