Pork Belly

[PCL]

Thanks for your thoughts.

140F, Jackal, surely you jest, that's 60C!!

But exposure to that temp for 24 hrs would kill most creepies.

zeitoun, that's an interesting concept you've got there, i'm not a big fan of braised belly unless it's red-cooked, but will try your recipe.

but the point is, has anyone else cooked it straight from the freezer like this??

[howard88]

I'm no chemist but I have to say; if you put a frozen pork belly or any meat

product in the oven at 140 degrees F, you would be driven out of the kitchen

by the smell of decomposing meat!

[jackal10]

I'm no chemist but I have to say; if you put a frozen pork belly or any meat

product in the oven at 140 degrees F, you would be driven out of the kitchen

by the smell of decomposing meat!

←

I regularly cook meat this way, both in a low oven and sous-vide. It doesn't decompose, but cooks perfectly. See the eGCI Science of Cooking course.

12 mins at 140F/60C kills the bugs

FDA Guidelines and temperature/time tables

Edited February 24, 2005 by jackal10 (log)

[PCL]

Point taken jackal.

Now, a couple ideas from the other night's experiment:

- greased the belly piece with EVOO + butter

- slashed skin and rubbed with 5-spice powder

- rubbed powder on bottom and sides

- salt and pepper all over

- half onion and apple slices in pan

- doused the lot with white wine

when finished and resting the belly, pan deglazed with more vino, light chicken stock, added some onion confit and sauteed apples, mounted, chopped parsley... tasted it and added squeeze of lemon for acid, Mrs PCL wanted balsamic, but I said "Non!"

[howard88]

I cook meat and poultry low and slow often.

I can understand the process if the meat is

room temperature or maybe cool. I just do not

see how frozen meat put in a 140 degree F oven

will not decompose.

[jackal10]

Assuming its a solid piece of meat, not chopped and reformed like a hamburger, then virtually all of the bacterial contamination is on the outside that heats fast enough to kill the bugs before they get too many.

Frozen only adds about 20C to the process, and maybe an hour to the cooking time, which is small compared to the 12-24 hours or longer cooking time.

[Chris Amirault]

I've got some fine, fine sources for excellent pork belly, and even have some in my freezer as I type. What are some ways to prepare it as a featured item (not, say, as a minor ingredient, as in cassoulet)? As always, photos of the holy hog before, during, and after are always much appreciated.

[chef koo]

stew it with cabbage. just dumpit in a pot with cabbage and veal stock and simmer until the pork belly is tender. you can add mushrooms and onions and whatever

[fiftydollars]

Braise it.

Paula Wolfert has an update to her classic "Cooking of South-west France" coming out in September and rumour has it, she features a very good recipe for a braised pork belly (petit sale).

[canucklehead]

I am not sure if you mean to serve it in a restaurant - but pork belly makes really good vindaloo. The hot sour sauce is the perfect foil for the rich fatty pork. I have a friend that makes it - the recipe is embarassing easy - and I wolf down the pork with basmati rice.

[davedemi]

The 'fresh spiced pork belly' in the Cafe Boulud cookbook is excellent.

I just took one out of the oven, it was in for almost 24 hours, hmmm.....gotta go!

[Busboy]

OK, this is the one you've got to use. Stephanie made it one Sunday and it may be the best meal I've had since the first of the year (except that night at Marcel's).

Use the recipe for Coda Alla Vaccinara (Oxtails in the Vaccinara Style) from this Washington Post article, with a couple of changes:

Use pork belly, not oxtail; ignore the beef cheeks requirement, pancetta is optional.

Use red wine, not white wine in the braise, if you're of a mind to.

Add a cinnamon stick or two.

We served them atop lentils which were boiled in chicken stock with roasted garlic (lots) carrot, onion, bay, thyme and a pinch of cinnamon.

It was really, really good; simple to make, and shouldn't trigger any syndromes except for a Pavlovian reaction whenever you think about it.

[kayswv]

Braised Pork Belly with Glazed Turnips or Red-Cooked Pork Belly with Bok Choy are both good choices. They are both from All About Braising by Molly Stevens.

Kay

[touaregsand]

Kimchi chigae

or

Spicy gochujang marinade, grill. Serve with rice and lettuce for wrapping. Maybe samjang as a relish.

[ianeccleston]

Twice-cooked pork

Red-Cooked Pork Belly

both recipes are salty and unctuous. mm.

[Chris Amirault]

Excellent ideas! Keep 'em comin'.

[eunny jang]

I love the idea for using belly to make a vindaloo, but I wonder: is the fattiness a good contrast to the acid of the vinegar, or a confusing extra element?

Myself, I'd braise it as red-cooked pork, or maybe smoke it lightly and then braise it, uncovered, with chimay, onions and thyme or rosemary. Roast it briefly at the finish.

[gingerpeach]

Babi kecap, a traditional Indonesian dish.

[ellencho]

How about just plain roasting it in a hot oven with salt and pepper? We do that and it's nearly impossible to overcook and turn tough because there's so much juicy fat between each layer. And if you leave the skin on, another benefit is that you get a nice crispy cracklin to fight over with your loved ones, just don't forget to score the skin beforehand, or cutting into it will be a royal pain.

[jmolinari]

I was going to say roast it chinese style. Slather it with a touch of hoisin and some ground toasted szechuan peppercorns. Make sure to prick the skin with a knife a LOT (like 100 times) all over, and rub it with some salt. Then roast it skin side up on a roasting rack....hmmmmm taaaasty

jason

[Gastro888]

You can cube it and steam it with some chopped Szchuan pickles and dump the lot (when it's done) over a bowl of noodles. Simple, easy and oh so tasty.

Too bad it's not winter - I'd suggest you take it and make "lap yook" (Chinese air cured bacon) with it. THAT is good eats, hands down.

Pork fat rules...

[tejon]

Pork Belly with Daikon (here's the recipe that torakris shared). It's simple and really, really good.

[Joel Bussjaeger]

I would put it in a basic brine for 24 hours, then coat the entire belly with brown sugar, salt & peper. let sit for another 24 hours in the fridge and then bake it at a low heat 200 for 8-10 hours, scrape off the sugar mix and there it is in all its beauty, the glorious pig ready to eat!

Edited May 7, 2005 by Joel Bussjaeger (log)

[alexw]

Bone it, skin it and score the fat. rub with coriander seed, garlic and a heap of crushed star anise and leave wrapped at room temp for about 8 hours.

turn your oven way down low about 68C, cover with preferably duck fat, but alternative oil does work, cover with foil and cook for as long as your patience will allow, it is ready to eat from 12-14 hours but if you can last the full 60 hours you wont regret it.

we allow it to cool and then lift from the fat, cut to shape and gently colour the fat side until really crisp, then the rest is melt in your mouth heaven.

enjoy.

Alex.

[larousse]

Pork Belly (Boned w/ skin):

Pork belly needs to be cured a bit and then braised until JUST tender. Confit is a whole other ballgame and very delicious I might add.

Score the skin not cutting too deep into the fat and rub both sides with coarse salt, (Baline is a good brand), whole perrercorns, fennel seed, whole garlic, thyme sprigs, bay leaves or any spices you'ld prefer, (rub more salt proportionally on the skin side). Refrigerate for 24 hours.

Rinse and pat dry. Meanwhile, sweat mirepoix unril tender, add the belly and chicken stock, white veal or water to cover. Bring to a boil, skim any foam or fat, cover with parchment paper and braise @ 325 unti tender ~2.5-3 hours. Let the meat cool in the liquid so it reabsorbs liquid and doen't dry out if you're not goijng to eat it immediately. Other wise, the liquid can be reduced to make a quick sauce. Enjoy and good luck.

M