Agave-Glazed Pork Belly with Grilled Pineapple

Ingredients

• 1 cup agave nectar divided (nectar)
• 0.3 cup apple cider vinegar 
• 2 teaspoons pepper black freshly ground plus more
• 3  pepper flakes stemmed sliced into 1/4" rounds
• 4 teaspoons kosher salt plus more
• 3.5 pounds pineapple cored ripe peeled cut into 1/2" rounds
• 6  poblano pepper stemmed coarsely chopped
• 4 pound pork belly with or without rib bones)
• 3  serrano chiles stemmed chopped
• 6 servings vegetable oil 

Equipment

• frying pan
• sauce pan
• oven
• roasting pan
• grill
• aluminum foil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250°F. Season pork belly all over with 4 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons pepper.
2. Place chiles in a large roasting pan.
3. Place pork belly, skin side down, on top of chiles; drizzle with 1/2 cup agave.
4. Pour remaining 1/2 cup agave and 2 cups water into pan. Cover pan tightly with lid or two layers of foil.
5. Transfer to oven and cook pork for 3 hours, basting with pan juices every hour. Turn pork over. Cook until very tender, about 4 more hours.
6. Transfer pork to another roasting pan (if bone-in, remove and discard bones). Strain liquid from first roasting pan into a saucepan (there should be about 5 1/2 cups); reserve chiles. Gently boil juices until reduced to about 1 1/4 cups, 45–50 minutes; add reserved chiles.
7. Remove pan from heat.
8. Let glaze cool; chill.
9. Meanwhile, cover pork with parchment or waxed paper. Top with a large plate.
10. Place weights, such as large canned goods, on top. Chill overnight.
11. Reheat glaze. Build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill, or heat a gas grill to high.
12. Brush grill rack with oil. Grill pineapple until nicely charred, 2–3 minutes per side; place on plates.
13. Let grill cool to medium heat. Slice pork belly into 1"-thick pieces. Grill until warmed and crisp, about 3 minutes per side.
14. Brush pork with some of the glaze from chile sauce.
15. To serve, place 2 or 3 pineapple slices on each plate; spoon glaze over, then top with pork belly.
16. Drizzle with vinegar.