Braised pork belly

• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 cups rice wine
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 6 halved garlic cloves
• 6 chopped green onions
• 2 one-pound slabs of pork belly, each roughly 1 inch thick

For a more Vietnamese-style pork belly, consider including 1.5 tbsp fish sauce and 2 tbsp finely chopped lemongrass (first use the non-sharp end of the knife to hit the lemongrass stalk to 'bruise').  Optional: marinate pork belly for 1 hour - overnight before step 3.

1. Combine soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, onion, garlic, and green onion
2. Microwave 30 seconds to ensure sugar dissolves
3. Pour 2/3 of marinade into a pot at medium heat
4. Roll pork belly slabs so meat is facing inward, tie with thread, butcher’s twine, or unwaxed dental floss
5. Place pork belly in pot on stove, cover partially with lid, for 2 hours, or until internal temperature reaches 145-150^o F, as per USDA guidelines.  Make sure to flip the pork belly cylinders halfway through, and add a cup of water if the marinade becomes too reduced.  Try to maintain a braising temperature of around 190^o F.
6. Chill in the freezer for at least 15 minutes, remove string and slice by hand or using a mandolin for thin, consistent slices

*