fryguy

Finished:

The 2 part cure ended up being a 3 part process. I started with the brine above, then used the basic dry cure out of Charcuterie with the addition of a bit of light brown sugar, maybe 4 tablespoons or so. I let the belly sit in the cure for 3 days, and on the 4th, I rinsed the belly and ladled in a ton of straight Dr Pepper syrup, at least a cupfull and let that sit for about 18 hours. Then rinse again and let dry in the fridge for a day before smoking it over hickory and cherry wood. IMHO, this is effing fantastic. After the first bite fresh off the smoker, I did a little dance. Really. I won't go so far as to say that it's the best bacon ever, but it's damn close. *Damn* close. Pics to come as soon as I figure out how to upload them from my ancient phone.

I got mine from work.

I decided to do a two part cure on it. Here's what's happening: 1000g water 420g Dr Pepper syrup 200g salt 30g brown sugar for 24 hours, then on to a standard dry cure with a handful of aromatics (thyme, garlic, peppercorn). It should give it a decent blast of the Dr Pepper flavor without making the belly too mushy. I think the secondary dry cure will firm up any damage that the acid did to the meat (I don't have any science to back that up). Just thought y'all might be interested in what I decided on.

So I want to do a Dr Pepper brine on some gorgeous pork belly I was lucky enough to find today. I'm thinking garlic, chilies, thyme and Dr Pepper syrup, but I'm worried that with a 3-4 day brine, the phosphoric acid in the syrup is going to mangle the meat. Any ideas? Should I just do a standard brine, and the a short dry cure with the syrup? I'm sort of at a loss on this one.

I got lucky. Garret Angus Farms had some at the Nashville Farmer's Market. I was not looking forward to driving to Madisonville on Monday morning.

Does anyone have a lead on pork belly in Nashville? Preferably locally raised. I'm really in a pinch and any help is greatly appreciated.

That's the prices I found as well. I was hoping they might carry locust bean gum, no such luck. That stuff's a pain to find in smaller quantities. ← I'm pretty sure Le Sanctuaire carries locust bean gum. (www.le-sanctuaire.com)

Link doesn't work for me.

What are the other 3?

You can always check jbprince.com for serving pieces. (mirror trays, etc.)

Found one at The Butcher's Block in Franklin.

I've got a dinner party coming up in a couple of weeks, and I really want to serve a whole lot of pork. Where can I get a suckling pig in/around/near Nashville? I live in Hermitage, if that makes any difference.

Creamy grits 8 oz butter 1 qt heavy cream 4-1/4 oz quick grits 2 T Minor's chicken base Bring butter, cream and chicken base to a boil. Reduce heat to low, whisk in grits. Whisk over low heat every few minutes; they will be done in 45 minutes to an hour. Keep an eye on these, or they will either burn or break. If they break, you can rescue the emulsion by whisking in more cold heavy cream. Keywords: Side, Easy, Breakfast, Dinner, American ( RG2024 )

Yes.