Beef-Braised Pork Belly

Pork

Beef-Braised Pork Belly
Ingredients:
1 whole star anise
3 whole cloves
1 Tablespoon whole fennel seeds
2 pounds pork belly cross-hatching only through the outer skin layer, not into the five meat layers
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup apple juice
1 large onion, thinly sliced
5 carrots, peeled, then angle-cut in half-inch pieces
5 dried apricots, each cut in four
2 twelve-ounce cans dark beer
3 Tablespoons rendered chicken fat
3 shallots, peeled and minced
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste
3 Tablespoons minced bottle horseradish

Preparation:
1. Tie star anise, cloves, and fennel seeds in a square of cheese cloth and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a four-quart pot, add the belly pork, and the cheese cloth packet, and fry this until the pork is browned, and then pour off and all but two tablespoons of the oil.
3. In this small amount of oil, stir-fry the onion and carrot pieces for three minutes, then add the apricots, beer, chicken fat, minced shallots, lemon juice, salt and pepper, the lemon juice and the horseradish and stir-fry one more minute, and then serve it.

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