Main Dish
Pork Cheek B L A T
Mutt Lynch Winery
9050 Windsor Rd.
Windsor, CA 95492
muttlynchwinery.com
- RECIPE YEAR: 2015
- RECIPE BY: Master Christopher Lynch
- YIELD: Serves 6
- PAIRS WELL WITH: mbf Primitivo - Speedy Creek
Sit on your patio, open a bottle of mbf Primitivo, wait for sunset and enjoy the flavors of this over-the-top B L A T. We found this recipe some years ago in Sunset magazine, from a restaurant in a beach town (where I grew up) called Venice. The recipe evolves every time Chris re-creates it. Chris makes his own homemade barbecue sauce and if it's a good day, he is baking homemade bread!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 pounds pork cheeks
- 1/3 cup duck fat
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce, or to taste
- 6 bacon slices
- 2 French baguettes
- Unsalted butter for brushing
- 1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1 large ripe tomato, diced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano and thyme
- Squirt of Tabasco sauce
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- Fresh chervil, to taste
- 1 large avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped
Directions:
In a bowl, stir together the salt and sugar in enough water to cover the pork cheeks. Brine the pork cheeks in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. Preheat the oven to 200°F. Remove the pork cheeks from the brine and rinse with cold water. Place the pork in a roasting pan along with the duck fat. Transfer to the oven and slow-roast the pork for 8 hours. Remove the pork cheeks from the fat, transfer to a baking sheet and baste with the 1/2 cup barbecue sauce. Let stand for at least 1 hour so they absorb the flavor. Grill the bacon until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Cut the baguettes in half lengthwise and brush the cut sides with butter. Toast in the oven until lightly browned. In a bowl, toss the lettuce with the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add the tomato. In a bowl, stir together the 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce (or to taste), the oregano, thyme, Tabasco sauce and mayonnaise until well blended. To assemble the sandwiches, place the chopped salad on the bottom half of the baguettes. Place the pork cheeks on the salad and top with the bacon. Drizzle with a pinch of the barbecue sauce mixture. Top with chervil and avocado, and cover with the top half of the baguettes.
