Sometimes the simplest things in life are the ones that give us the most joy. Take the BLT sandwich for example: so simple yet so delicious. And let’s not fool ourselves as to why – it’s the bacon. That crisp, fatty, savory meat that makes the whole experience so satisfying.
What could be better? How about a PBLT (pork belly, lettuce, and tomato). After all, bacon is simply sliced and fried pork belly.
Get in My Belly!
When thinking about what to make on the Weber Smokey Mountain this past weekend, the PBLT idea hit me like some divine inspiration. Actually, I’m not that creative when it comes to food. I did a YouTube search for “smoked pork belly” and found this video.
Regardless, I knew this would be enjoyed by all, so I got to smoking.
I got my pork belly onto the cutting board and sliced it into two pieces to help ensure even cooking throughout. I applied a thin coat of mustard as a bond for the rub, which was something I made from a recipe I found in a barbecue cookbook. It’s simply called a Basic Barbecue Rub, which I was sure to label on the container as “Sweet and Savory.” It consists of (increase quantities as needed for the size of the meat):
- 4 Tbsp salt
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp paprika
- 1 Tbsp cayenne pepper
That’s pretty much all the prep I needed. As the meat rested on the counter, I prepared my smoker for a cook at 275 degrees and used apple wood for flavor.
I let it cook for about three hours to let the bark form. After that, I began to spritz the meat with a half apple cider/half water mixture every 15 minutes for about another 90 minutes.
When the pork belly reached 200 degrees, I took them off the smoker, wrapped them in foil, and let them rest for about an hour.
When time elapsed, the highly anticipated slicing and tasting began. Pork belly is about a 50/50 meat to fat ratio. So in every bite I got the best of both worlds. The meat itself was gloriously sweet and fatty, and the rub I used added to that experience with a saltiness we expect when we eat bacon. If you’re looking for a new twist on your ordinary BLT, I can’t recommend this alternative enough.
The Wine: 2020 Beaumont Chenin Blanc
While my last pairing experience with a South African wine was less than satisfying, the opposite is true this time around. I knew that preparing the meat in this way was going to bring out the pork’s natural sweetness, so I wanted a wine that was going to complement accordingly. I also needed something that was going to cut into that fat, similar to the way jelly cuts into the fat of peanut butter in a PB&J.
Once again, I discovered several new wines during a South African wine tasting at Collier’s of Centreville, one of which was the 2020 Beaumont Chenin Blanc. Definitely a young wine. Remember that the southern hemisphere experiences its seasons in reverse to the northern hemisphere, so harvest in a place like South Africa takes place during the tail end of our winters in the United States.
When you smell the wine, a burst of citrus hits you. At first, I got memories of my mother cleaning our coffee table with Lemon Pledge. On the tongue, definitely more of the same. Citrus fruits with hints of minerals.
It was light, lively, and the flavors paired very well with the sweet and savory elements of the pork and the bark created with the rub.
A successful combo of food and wine, and one which I highly recommend should you ever see pork belly in your local grocery store and become inspired to make this sandwich that’s well worth the effort.
Because I love learning about all aspects of wine, let’s dive a little into this wine and the region from which it comes.
When visiting the Beaumont website, you definitely get that spirit of family that goes into their winery and winemaking style:
Jayne founded Beaumont Wines in 1974 with Raoul, her now deceased husband – a free spirited, somewhat infamous and larger than life character. With a love for travelling, sailing, Spain and motorbikes, his many tales live on amongst the shales of Beaumont and in Raoul’s Range of wines.
Sebastian is the oldest son and a second generation Beaumont – a man with a passion for wine, fishing and surfing. After studying viticulture and oenology he joined the family business in 1999 and honed his skills on the farm as viticulturist initially, working alongside Raoul.
Sebastian and his team are fortunate to have 40 years of viticulture experience on this unique farm.
His wine making approach is instinctive, believing that wine is made in the vineyards and minimal intervention is needed. Ancient, low-yielding Chenin Blanc and Pinotage vines are honoured in the process, allowing the wines to be a true reflection of the land and vineyards. He has a hands-on approach to wine-making, using old-cellar techniques like natural yeasts and old open concrete ‘’kuipe’’ fermenters.
His non-conformist approach embraces the old but also creatively uses modern winemaking techniques to produce limited quantities of specialised, characterful and authentic wines.
Beaumont is located in the Bot River region of South Africa, which Wine-Searcher.com describes:
Bot River is a small ward in the Walker Bay district of South Africa’s Western Cape, about 50 kilomters (30 miles) from Stellenbosch and 90 kilometers (55 miles) from Cape Town.
The area is classically cool-climate, with breezes from the nearby Walker Bay and the Bot River Lagoon rushing in to vineyards to replace the hot air during the afternoons. The surrounding Babylonstoren and Groenlandberg Mountains catch the cloud cover that traps cool air and moisture in the valley. This helps wine farms to temper the warmth of the summer, leading to brighter, fresher wines with good acidity.
South Africa doesn’t disappoint with its wine offerings. The perfect combination of quality and value. If you haven’t paid attention to this section of your local wine shop, I recommend keeping an eye out the next time you visit.
My next cook will be another brisket attempt – this time with some inspiration from Myron Mixon.
Cheers!