Sichuan Bacon

[Dave Weinstein]

Sichuan Bacon

This is a savory bacon, that I use primarily (but not exclusively) in Chinese cooking.

The ingredients are for a small batch (since I generally buy small pieces of pork belly, rather than doing an entire belly at a time).

References: Cooking (or curing) from Charcuterie, sausages, terrines, cured meats

• 1 T Lapsang Souchong Tea
  
• 1 T Sichuan Peppercorns
  
• 1-1/2 T Basic cure (Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing )
  
• 1-1/4 lb Pork Belly, Skin On
  

Prepare the pork belly as normal with the cure mix (as per the cookbook referenced above). Cover the meat side evenly with the peppercorns and tea leaves, and then cure for one week as normal.

Note: Yes, this really needs the cookbook. But the cookbook is worth it, and I'm not giving advice on meat curing when there is a perfectly good reference readily available.

Additional note: I use FoodSaver bags for making bacon, because then I can keep the meat entirely in the cure, and flip it easily in the refridgerator.

Keywords: Easy, Chinese, Pork

( RG1721 )