Shelby

I honestly have tears in my eyes. That's the nicest compliment you could have given me. And I swear, I was a pork belly virgin.

I cannot THANK each and every one of you enough for helping me with this. It was a success!!! It will be better next time, but I'm pleased at my first attempt. As you can see, and like I said, this cut isn't what it should be for true pork belly goodness, but, I'm thankful for this wonderful chance to practice and taste. LOVED that it was awesome, crunchy pork skin on top. There should have been more meat on the bottom, but we got the general idea and it was heavenly. I scored it by cutting instead of poking. Not sure which method is better? We had this along side some fried spring rolls stuffed with ground pork and fried rice. I'm SO FULL. Edited to add: Since the cut was so much thinner than the pics from the recipe, I cut the cooking time in half for each step. I think that worked well.

Ok. It's in the fridge to dry/marinate. I only had Absolut Pepper vodka, but it's 40%, so I figured that would be ok. It doesn't have a lot of meat in a couple of areas. It's not sliced evenly if that makes sense. Also, there is a 2 1/2 inch place on the end that has no skin on it. BUT, it's a good piece to try out and learn on. Thanks again for all help and encouragement!

Ok. I will do that once I get a bit more confident. This is a thing of beauty! Well, right off the bat, I know that this cut isn't as good as what it should be. Frankly, it looks more like it should be made into bacon. BUT, I want to try this so I'm forging ahead.

This link you provided is VERY helpful! Thank you so much! I am going to go with this and use the vodka method (I think….I hope I have some vodka) If not, then I'll do the soda. I am starting in a bit, so I'll keep you guys updated

My husband actually bought it because he was going to make bacon out of it. I stepped in and told him absolutely not, I want to have proper pork belly made the way I always see it on eGullet I've never eaten or cooked it before--I mean I've had pork before, of course, but not pork belly. When I see pictures my mind thinks that it must melt in your mouth…not in a greasy way, but an unctuous way with the top being crispy. Thanks for all of the wonderful ideas!!!! I am going to have a hard time choosing. Well, there's absolutely nothing saying you can't buy *more* pork belly and just eat your way through the suggestions at a leisurely, pork-saturated pace…. Well, I hope we are able to find it again, but we live in the sticks and this was a lucky find in the big city.

My husband actually bought it because he was going to make bacon out of it. I stepped in and told him absolutely not, I want to have proper pork belly made the way I always see it on eGullet I've never eaten or cooked it before--I mean I've had pork before, of course, but not pork belly. When I see pictures my mind thinks that it must melt in your mouth…not in a greasy way, but an unctuous way with the top being crispy. Thanks for all of the wonderful ideas!!!! I am going to have a hard time choosing.

My wonderful husband bought a pork belly at the Asian Market. Our first ever. Help me!!!! I want it to be wonderful. I will not be doing anything sous vide, so, kindly leave those ideas out. Here are a couple of pics of it in the package:

I just watched the latest episode. I admire Carlos for the dish he made. I thought it was really creative and not just fish on a plate. At least he won a car.

Crap. You're right. I must have been projecting my wishes onto the computer screen lol. Well, yuck. I don't want to see Nick again. But, I guess I will.

I finally had the time to get to my DVR and get caught up. I was 3 episodes behind. I was sorry to see Stephanie go. Personality-wise, she was my favorite. Many times her jokes cracked me up. GLAD to see whiny-ass Nicholas off. I wanted to step through the TV into the kitchen and move his damn pots around some more. So, the next episode is moved to Hawaii? And, the winner from Last Chance Kitchen will join them there? I haven't kept up with who is winning that. I see it as coming down to Nina and Shirley with Nina pulling out the win.

I don't like sweet tater skins. Too thick.

I'm perusing the website of the Northern Waters place. Awesome looking sandwiches on the menu.

I have a head of cabbage in the fridge. I've never made sauerkraut…..I might need to try this weekend.

Love everything! My cats--Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Newman--said to tell your cats hello I wish I had been smart like you. I NEEEEEEED those lazy susans in my cabinets.

I think your pasta looks delicious! I haven't made fresh for so long. It's time I did it again. What do you do with your leftovers, or did you make just enough dough to use for one meal?

Shelby and Smithy, could you line the tops with drawer liner? It's smooth, so wipes clean. That's a great idea, but there are more obstacles. My contractor installed lights and electrical outlets on the top of my cabinets, so it's not a smooth, plain surface. Believe me, if I could have a do-over, I'd do a lot different. Sorry to hijack you, Nancy!!!!

Also, we have the exact same counter top, fridge, and cabinets! I called my husband over to see and he asked if you lived here in Kansas Side question: How do you keep the tops of your cabinets clean? I am at a loss. Ours are are unsanded plywood on the top ( yeah, sigh) Cleaning is impossible.

In my dream kitchen, I've always wanted one of the overhead pot/skillet hangers….however, after I realized how much grease, dirt and gunk accumulates on my overhead lights, I nixed the idea. Very smart and pretty where you hang yours! I love it.

Oh Nancy, I'm so glad you're blogging! I will be eagerly checking my computer for all of your beautiful pictures and descriptions. I've never seen those silicone covers before. Me thinks I might need to investigate those. Your green beans and bacon have me drooooooling. I wish I had some beans in the fridge so that I might copy your meal.

I have those exact scissors and I use the hell out of them.

I didn't take a picture, but we munched on pickle roll-ups (pastrami smeared with cream cheese and wrapped around a dill pickle spear) and deviled eggs.

Here is the duck on the rotiss. I loved the crispy skin and the duck fat that I was able to save. It sure doesn't taste like the duck I'm used to. Not a bad thing, just different. Edited to add: I have a pot of ham and beans bubbling merrily away on the stove. The beans include black-eyed peas. I will make some sort of cornbread in a bit. Maybe muffins. Maybe with cheese and peppers in them. I'm contemplating making a sweet potato pie from taters my mother-in-law gave me that she needed to use up. I hope you all have had a great first day of the year! It's blizzarding here, so it feels especially cozy in the kitchen this evening.

Happy New Year!!!

New Year's Day for us absolutely must include black eyed peas. I will post again when I nail the menu down. For New Year's Eve we are roasting a duck. My first ever store-bought domestic duck. I've only had wild duck so I'm looking forward to the crispy skin etc. I need to think about side dishes….I'm obviously a procrastinator lol.