You can often find pork belly in Asian markets. Ask for unsalted, uncured belly, which is not the same as slab bacon or salt pork. I have to say, the succulent and crackling fat is what makes it taste so damn delicious! A good butcher should be able to help you out when buying pork belly, and it’s typically an inexpensive cut. The rosy meat is marbled with fat and when baked for hours (as it is here), it becomes so custardy soft that you can literally cut it with a spoon. Pork belly, which comes from the underside of the hog, is basically uncured fresh bacon. It is available in gourmet markets or on the Internet. The cotton candy–colored salt contains a small amount of sodium nitrite that reacts with the meat to form a more stable protein complex, making it especially resistant to oxidizing, and helps the meat to maintain a pink tinge. Pink curing salt, also referred to as saltpeter or sel rose, is popular for all types of sausage and bacon curing. Then wrap well with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Step 4Īllow the bacon to cool to room temperature. Place the belly on a rack set in a roasting pan, and roast until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 150☏, about 3 hours. Alternatively, to roast the belly, preheat the oven to 200☏. The internal temperature of the meat should reach 150☏. Then fire up your smoker to 200☏ and smoke the belly for 3 hours using your favorite wood. This is important the meat will not take smoke until the surface is dry. If you are going to smoke the belly, allow it to dry out in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours. Put a wire cooling rack over a baking sheet and lay the pork belly on top. Step 2Īfter 8 days, remove the pork belly from the cure, rinse thoroughly with cool water, and pat dry with paper towels. Refrigerate for 8 days, turning the bag over every other day. Put the bag in a rimmed container just in case it leaks. Founded in 1891 by George Albert Hormel, it’s been the purveyor of many firsts, like the world’s first canned ham. The name is synonymous with pork and has been trusted for over 100 years. Pour in the cure, squeeze out any air in the bag, and seal smush it around to coat the belly completely. Hormel is, perhaps, the best-known bacon brand on the planet. Put the pork belly in a large resealable plastic bag. You can find it at specialty food stores or online.In a glass or other nonreactive mixing bowl, combine the salt, sugar, pink salt, and maple syrup. It keeps the meat pink and protects it from bacteria. Pink curing salt is a mix of salt and sodium nitrite.To store, wrap the bacon in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 2 months. Remove the rind (optional), then slice and cook as desired.Smoke the pork belly 3 hours, or until the bacon reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees F. Set up your smoker according to the manufacturer's instructions using applewood chips, and set to 200 degrees F.Refrigerate the belly on a rack, uncovered, 48 hours. Remove the pork belly from the bag, rinse thoroughly and pat dry.It should take 7 days for a thin belly that is about 11/2 inches thick, longer for a belly that's 2 to 3 inches thick. Close the bag and refrigerate 7 to 10 days, flipping once a day, until the pork belly feels firm.Coat the pork belly all over with the mixture. To make the spice rub, mix the kosher salt, pink salt, brown sugar, honey, red pepper flakes, paprika and cumin in a bowl. Transfer to a resealable 2-gallon plastic bag. Wrapped in parchment paper, then wrapped in plastic wrap or foil and placed in a Ziploc bag, the bacon will keep for three weeks in the refrigerator and three months in the freezer. Any bacon that doesn't easily slice may be cut into chunks, for starting a pot of beans or soup. Chill the bacon well, then slice thick or thin, to preference. Roast the pork belly in the oven to an internal temperature of 150 degrees for about 90 minutes. Allow the bacon to air-dry in the refrigerator for 6 to 24 hours. Pat the bacon dry with paper towels and set it on a rack over a baking sheet. After seven days, wash the cure off the meat, rinsing thoroughly.Some liquid will begin to gather in the bag. Close the bag, squeezing out all the air and refrigerate for seven days. Rub the cure into the pork belly, turning the bag over and over and pressing the cure into the flesh. Add the salt (and pink salt if using) and the cure additions. Place the pork belly in a large Ziploc bag.
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