Pork belly banh mi on a crispy baguette

Cut the pork belly into two pieces and zip the skin off the meat.

Salt both bellies liberally on both sides, set them on a wire rack, and roast at 300F for roughly three hours.

An hour into the roast, mix warm water, instant yeast, sugar, bread flour and salt in a stand mixer on high with the dough hook for six to eight minutes, until the dough clears the bowl.

Round the dough tight by moving from 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock while tucking it under, then ferment two hours, with a strength building fold at 60 minutes.

Flour and flip out the dough, cut it into six 150 g pieces, pre-shape each into a tight ball and rest them 15 to 20 minutes under a damp tea towel.

Degas each piece and roll it with fingertips into a tight cigar, pressing each half inch roll into the dough for tension, then taper the ends.

Pan the six shaped baguettes, cover with a damp tea towel and proof about 45 minutes until they barely bounce back.

When the pork is shreddable and the fat rendered, rest it; preheat the oven to 400F with a pizza steel and a cast iron pan below it.

Score the proofed baguettes on a diagonal, spritz them heavily with water so they spring higher, load them, and pour boiling water into the cast iron for steam.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes to a toasty golden brown; the bottom stays blonde and soft, which is what this sandwich needs.

Brush the baked baguettes with melted butter for shine.

Once the pork has cooled to room temperature, cut it across the grain into roughly three quarter inch slabs, which keeps the juices and fat inside.

Shred 150 g of daikon and 150 g of carrot with a julienne peeler.

Boil water, rice vinegar, white distilled vinegar, sugar and salt in a small saucepan until the sugar and salt dissolve, pour it over the shredded roots, submerge them and pickle at least four to six hours, preferably 24.

Stir equal parts lime juice, brown sugar, fish sauce and sambal chili paste together, about two tablespoons of each, for the sandwich juice.

Sear the pork slabs in a hot nonstick pan about a minute a side to warm and crisp them without drying them out.

Slice a baguette open on one side, tear out a deep pocket, layer in four to six ounces of the seared belly, and blast it in a 425F oven two to three minutes to re-crisp the bread.

Spread mayonnaise inside, then eight to 10 strips of cucumber, four to five jalapeno slices, a couple of large pinches of the carrot daikon pickle, cilantro and mint.

Drizzle in two to three generous tablespoons of the sandwich juice.