There is something magic about pork belly. Those who imbibe in it are prone to eye-glazed moments of reverence when discussing it. Chefs swear by the texture and flavor even a small amount adds to a dish.
I find this impressive, so I drove up to Lee Lee Oriental Supermarket this weekend to lay in a small supply of pork belly ($3.19 a pound, if you’re wondering) to see what all the hype was about.
When I arrived home I realized I had no idea what to do with what I’d bought, but bacon is always a good idea. So I slapped down six slabs on a cutting board and fought off the dog while rubbing each chunk vigorously with salt and sugar, just like the internet told me to. Then I added crushed Pakistani peppers to one and garlic to another, leaving the third plain.
The word is that this should be left to cure for one week, so this will be hitting the frying pan next Sunday. Can making one’s own bacon really be this easy? I’ll be back in a week with a full report.
This article appears in Feb 16-22, 2012.
I think I would roast them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzO9W2wmPWs
You guys want to glorify this, fine. But the reality is that the industrial production of animals, such as pigs, for food is horrendous in every way: environmental disaster, inhumane and cruel to the animals, and if you really think about it, pretty disgusting.
Adam,aside from the peta FOOL,make sure you let us know how that turns out,it sounds delicious….
@stop and think:
If we weren’t meant to eat animals then god would not have made them so delicious. Obviously if you have a problem with meat you shouldn’t read an article online about delicious pork belly. So step down off the soap box and go buy a veggie burger. Mean while I will be consuming meat. Like a true carnivore.
@Adam- That looks spectacular! Hope it comes out great.
I had the pork belly BLT sliders at 47 Scott… just as good as it sounds.
Ah man my mouth is watering. There is so much you can do with a pork belly, if you need any more ideas, let me know.
Burnie Mak, send those ideas this way: aborowitz@tucsonweekly.com. After trying a small sample last night I can report that bacon is both easy to make and far superior to what you get at the store. More on this next week.