How should I Egg this Costco PORK BELLY?

KiterTodd

Pork Belly is all the rage right now.  I wouldn't be surprised if McDonald's starts serving it.  Personally, I don't really like it the way everyone is preparing it.  To me it is just a very fatty piece of meat and how it became a delicacy is beyond me.  BUT, I do like bacon.    AND I have faith that with the Egg I can prepare it better than most restaurants.

So, I was in Costco last night and saw that they have Pork Belly cut into these 1 inch thick slices.   Every time I see folks smoking it to make bacon, it is the whole slab and not these cuts.

Just curious how you would prepare these?
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I didn't buy it yet, but may consider it for NYE.  At that price it's $3.34/ piece.

tarheelmatt

I'm confused.  

What do you want to do here?  Make bacon?  

Photo Egg

I would ask them for an uncut belly and make bacon.
but i have seen a couple posts of slow cooking the above in smaller pieces and it looked great. but then again, mushy bacon/belly fat is not my thing either.

KiterTodd

tarheelmatt said:

I'm confused.  

What do you want to do here?  Make bacon?  

Sorry.  Just looking for suggestions on what you would do with this package of PB.   And yes, while I'd be interested in trying to make some bacon, was also wondering if it's worth doing it with these slabs or if I should hold out for a whole piece.  Thanks!

jimithing

My Costco has it both ways - slabs and slices like the OP.  That thick sliced stuff would be good for smoking and then cubing and throwing i the pot while making red beans and rice or collard/mustard greens. 

Alternatively I think it's used a lot in Asian cooking.  Twice cooked pork belly and that sort of thing.

Photo Egg

...

this is the post I liked...I like the idea of smaller pieces to give more edge pieces...

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/1842429/#Comment_1842429

Thatgrimguy

Smoke it, cube it, then deep fry the cubes... yum. 

Newport65

Did Cosco just start selling pork belly?  I have not seen it in CT....

Spaightlabs

After scoring the heck out of the skin and seasoning it I smoke it at 200 for about 45 minutes to get some smokey goodness on it, then I go 500 degrees for about 7 to 10 minutes a side to get a good crisp on the surfaces, then back it down to about 300 for a couple hours until tender and rendered.

KiterTodd

@Spaightlabs that sounds great, thanks.   So after that method it sounds like it's mostly smokey goodness and less fat. 

How do you then serve it?  Chunks? Cubes?  Slices?  Or does it just kind of fall apart however you like...

stlcharcoal

Eggcelsior

OH SNAP! I need to see if that will be up here in Frederick.

tarheelmatt

Make Heo Quay

Spaightlabs

@KiterTodd - it's till pretty fatty, but I think in a pretty great way.

I cut it in about finger width pieces along the grain like you would bacon and then cut those into smaller pieces.  I almost alway eat it with field greens or roasted vegetables as it provides a great contrast to the green stuff.

It also makes for some excellent street style tacos and I bet it would kill on a pizza.

HeavyG

Newport65 said:

Did Cosco just start selling pork belly?  I have not seen it in CT....

What's available in Costco varies widely depending upon what part of the country you are in. You may or may not ever see them in CT.

HeavyG

KiterTodd said:

tarheelmatt said:

I'm confused.  

What do you want to do here?  Make bacon?  

Sorry.  Just looking for suggestions on what you would do with this package of PB.   And yes, while I'd be interested in trying to make some bacon, was also wondering if it's worth doing it with these slabs or if I should hold out for a whole piece.  Thanks!

I'd use at least one or three of those to make/use as lardons.

blind99

I have yet to really nail pork belly like that.  I think you need a multi part cook - a low and slow to render the fat and tenderize the meat, an a sear to crisp up the skin. 

I had pork belly recently done similar to the following link, which uses a Thomas keller recipe.  http://mondodinner.com/2011/05/pork-belly-confit-recipe-by-thomas-keller/

I see these in my Costco too, next to the whole pork bellies.  Instead of a throwdown, I think we should have a WTF-Do-I-Do-With-This thread where we try and tackle something like this.

fruitguy

HeavyG said:

KiterTodd said:

tarheelmatt said:

I'm confused.  

What do you want to do here?  Make bacon?  

Sorry.  Just looking for suggestions on what you would do with this package of PB.   And yes, while I'd be interested in trying to make some bacon, was also wondering if it's worth doing it with these slabs or if I should hold out for a whole piece.  Thanks!

I'd use at least one or three of those to make/use as lardons.

So thank you for the Lardon.   I have now spent an hour at work on youtube looking at these.  I think I have a new use for the next belly I cold smoke.

Budgeezer

I recently tried these two options.
http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1188802/pork-belly-two-ways#latest

Lit

I cooked 3 bellies one day different ways. I brined all 3 but then cooked 2 up to around 155 internal like I saw recommended on the net and this forum. They were fatty and disgusting. The 3rd I cubed into around 1" pieces then brined and then drained the brine and rinsed and then seasoned them with habanero beath dust and honey hog hot and cooked them in a pan like you would burnt ends. Think I cooked them for 3 hours or so total but around 2 and a half in I hit them with light brown sugar and more rub and raised the temp and let them carmelize like candied bacon. This is th eonly way I will cook belly again I made a 13*9 pan pretty full of these and they were gone pretty quickly at the party and they were small enough pieces that the fat wasn't overwhelming. The 2 bellies in the middle rack were too fatty I chopped one for tacos and threw the other out. The candied pieces are on the bottom but I don't think they were candied yet in this pic.

Lit

caliking

SV pork belly bao. Killer. 

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1173722/sv-pork-belly-with-homemade-bao-and-other-stuff/p1

KiterTodd

Lit said:

...The 3rd I cubed into around 1" pieces then brined and then drained the brine and rinsed and then seasoned them with habanero beath dust and honey hog hot and cooked them in a pan like you would burnt ends. Think I cooked them for 3 hours or so total but around 2 and a half in I hit them with light brown sugar and more rub and raised the temp and let them carmelize like candied bacon. This is th eonly way I will cook belly again I made a 13*9 pan pretty full of these and they were gone pretty quickly at the party and they were small enough pieces that the fat wasn't overwhelming....

Awesome!!  Thanks.  That also looks like a perfect method for these 1" thick slabs Costco has.  Could be a perfect appetizer to throw out at a party.

How long did you let them sit in the brine?  (which I haven't tried yet but I'm guessing was just a bunch of kosher salt and some water bagged in the fridge?)

Lit

I used the all purpose brine in Ruhlmans Charcuterie book. I cubed them first so they have alot of surface area I wouldn't brine over an hour and make sure you rinse well. You can use any all purpose brine you find. i brined them right in the same 13*9 pan I cooked them in.

Photo Egg

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Brine in case you don't have the book, but worth getting if you don't...

All-Purpose Brine

1 gallon water
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
optional seasonings as desired

Combine and bring to simmer, stirring to dissolve salt and sugar.
Remove from heat and  cool to room temp, then refrigerate until chilled.

Lit

A good trick on brine use like a 3rd less water then add ice to cool so you don't have to wait forever for it to cool.

Little Steven

I sous-vided one for three days last year and then put it on the egg for an hour at 300* Did not last very long