PORK BELLY SKEWERS

Steps:

• Brine pork belly:
• Bring brine ingredients to a boil in a 6-quart pot, then simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes. 3Cool brine to room temperature, then chill until cold, about 3 hours, and up to 3 days.
• Cover pork belly with brine in a large heavy roasting pan, then chill 24 hours.
• Remove pork belly from brine, discarding brine, and rinse under cold water. Pat pork belly dry. Wash and dry roasting pan.
• Braise pork belly:
• Preheat oven to 225°F with rack in middle.
• Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners and heat oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then cook onion, garlic, and shallots, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add stock and bring to a boil, scraping up brown bits. Add pork belly and remove from heat.
• Cover roasting pan tightly with foil and braise in oven until pork belly is very tender, 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours.
• Remove pork belly (reserve braising liquid for another use) and cool to room temperature.
• Wrap tightly in several layers of plastic wrap and chill, pressed between 2 baking sheets with a weight (such as four 28-ounces cans) on top, 12 to 24 hours.
• Make chile sauce:
• Purée all sauce ingredients with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a blender.
• Skewer pork belly:
• Bring pork belly to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Cut lengthwise into 1-inch strips, then cut each strip crosswise into 1/3-inch-wide pieces. Thread each piece onto a skewer and brush with some of chile sauce.
• Prepare grill:
• If using a charcoal grill, open vents on bottom and light a large chimney starter full of charcoal (preferably hardwood), then dump coals out across bottom rack, leaving a space free of coals on one side of grill equal to size of pork belly, where it can be moved in case of flare-ups. When charcoal turns grayish white, the grill will be at its hottest and will then begin to cool off. Grill is ready when you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill rack directly over coals for just 3 to 4 seconds (medium-hot). If using a gas grill, preheat all burners on high 10 minutes, then adjust heat to medium-high.
• Grill pork belly:
• Oil grill rack, then grill pork belly, turning occasionally and basting with chile sauce once more, until well browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Brush with more chile sauce.