This is a lengthy process in that the pork belly cooks for several hours but it is not fiddly and you can go and do other things while it cooks. I wouldn't make this dish often because the sugar and fat content is off the charts but it certainly is delicious and leftovers taste very nice indeed in fried rice.
2 lbs pork belly
2 cans of coca cola - no diet coke please
2 start anise
1 head of garlic
1 thumb sized piece of garlic
3 Tbsps hoisin sauce
2 Tbsps mustard
2 Tbsps mayonnaise
2 tsps Chinese five spice
2 carrots
1 hand-sized piece of daikon radish or 2 cucumbers, basically you need a crunchy vegetable
1 bunch arugula
1 bunch perilla or mint or coriander
2 tsps rice wine vinegar
1 tsp fish sauce
1 lime
1 baguette, cut into 4 and each piece then halved
Cut the pork belly into bite sized pieces. Place the pieces fatty side down in a dutch oven and place over medium heat. The meat needs to be cooked in one layer so crowd them in if necessary or cook 2 batches for 5 minutes each and then combine. This step will make the fat start to melt from the pork belly and the outside to crisp up and color a bit. It will also make your house smell insanely delicious and your mouth water. After 5 minutes, turn the heat to low and allow this step to continue while you proceed with the step below.
Without removing the skin, cut your head of garlic in half lengthwise, rub off any excess skin, and throw the garlic in the pan along with the star anise. Salt the meat well. Without bothering to peel your ginger, cut it in half lengthwise and crush it energetically under the blade of a knife. Add it to the pot.
Pour the coca cola over the meat and stir everything well to make sure that the meat is not stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cover the pot and allow to cook for 2 hours on the lowest heat. After 2 hours, turn off the heat and allow the meat to cool, still covered, in the stock.
While the meat is cooling, shave your carrots, daikon or cucumber into a bowl, using a vegetable peeler, and add the vinegar and the fish sauce. Toss from time to time as you proceed with your cooking, Mix one tablespoon of the hoisin sauce with the mayonnaise in a small bowl and set aside.
Put 1/2 cup of the cooking stock* in a small pan with the remaining 2 tablespoons of the hoisin sauce, all of the mustard and the Chinese five spice. Mix well to combine and then cook over low heat until reduced by half and the liquid is thick and syrupy. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt to taste.
Preheat the oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with foil.
Once cool, remove all of the meat to a plate lined with paper towels and pat dry. Using a sharp knife, score the fatty layer in diagonal cuts to form a diamond pattern. Place the meat, fat side up on the foil-lined baking sheet and brush liberally with some of the hoisin-mustard-pork stock reduction.
Place in the oven and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, brush with more of the reduction and cook for 5 additional minutes.
As soon as you remove the pork from the oven and turn off the heat, place your bread in the oven to crisp up a bit with the residual heat while you get organized.
Add your arugula and your herb to the bowl with the vegetables and toss well.
Remove the bread from the oven. Spread each piece with some of the hoisin mayonnaise. Top the bottom piece with 1/4 of the pickled vegetables and some of the pork. Brush the pork with any remaining reduction and spritz with some lime juice. Cover with the remaining pieces of bread and scarf down with abandonment.
* Place the pan containing the remaining stock in the fridge over night. In the morning, skim off the layer of congealed fat and strain the stock into a container. Discard the aromatics. I freeze this stock and use it as a base for baked beans or bean soups. It also tastes good when used 1/2 and 1/2 with bone broth as a base for ramen.