Zapappy

Name: Pan con Chicharrón
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 165 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Peruvian
Ingredients: 2 lb skin-on pork belly or pork shoulder with a fat cap, cut into one broad piece per serving; 1 tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt; 4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 4 large mint or hierbabuena sprigs; 2 cups water, plus more if needed during simmering; 1 1/2 lb orange sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced lengthwise 1/3 inch thick; 1/2 cup neutral oil, use only as needed if the pork renders insufficient fat; 4 crusty French-style rolls, split and warmed; 1 large red onion, sliced feather-thin; 1 small ají limo or red serrano chile, thinly sliced; 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped; 3 tbsp fresh lime juice; 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt

Cooking

Ingredients

Chicharrón

2 lb skin-on pork belly or pork shoulder with a fat cap, cut into one broad piece per serving
1 tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 large mint or hierbabuena sprigs
2 cups water, plus more if needed during simmering

Sweet potato and rolls

1 1/2 lb orange sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced lengthwise 1/3 inch thick
1/2 cup neutral oil, use only as needed if the pork renders insufficient fat
4 crusty French-style rolls, split and warmed

Salsa criolla

1 large red onion, sliced feather-thin
1 small ají limo or red serrano chile, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt

Directions

Simmer the pork

Season the pork all over with the pork salt, ground cumin, and black pepper. Arrange it in a Dutch oven with garlic cloves, mint, and water.
Bring to a gentle simmer, partially cover, and cook over medium-low, turning the pork every 20 minutes, until a fork enters easily but the pieces still hold together, 75-95 minutes. Add small splashes of water only if the pot dries before the pork is tender.

Render and brown

Uncover and increase the heat to medium. Remove the garlic and mint before they darken. Continue cooking until the water evaporates and the sound changes from wet bubbling to clear frying, 10-20 minutes.
Brown the pork in its rendered fat, turning carefully, until the broad surfaces are deep golden and crisp, 8-12 minutes. Transfer to a board and rest for 10 minutes, then slice thickly across the grain. Reserve the rendered fat.

Fry the camote

Pour enough reserved pork fat into a large skillet for a 1/4-inch layer; supplement with neutral oil only if needed. Heat over medium-high and fry sweet potatoes in uncrowded batches until browned at the edges and tender throughout, 3-5 minutes per side.
Drain the sweet potato on a wire rack and season lightly while hot. It should bend without breaking but retain caramelized surfaces.

Make salsa criolla and assemble

Rinse red onion in ice water for 2 minutes, then drain and dry very thoroughly. Toss with ají limo, cilantro, lime juice, and the salsa salt immediately before assembly.
Warm crusty rolls until their crusts revive. Layer each bottom with sweet potato, thick slices of hot pork, and a loose handful of salsa criolla. Close and serve immediately.