Pork Belly Cook

Cookbook_Chip said:

I have got to try belly! Your pic is making me drool. Where do you buy one?

Got it from a local butcher.  Typically, if you visit a butcher they'll either have one or will be able to get you one in short order.  Definitely worth seeking.  It tasted far better than it looks!

WC1 said:

Looks delicious.  Pork belly has been on my mind just havent found the right recipe until now!

On the grill did you baste it during the cook?

Yes, but only at the very end of the cook.  Cooked it at 275 for 5 1/2 hours, then kicked the heat up to 375 to sear the skin on each side.  During the higher heat portion of the cook, I applied a glaze made of whiskey (with the alcohol thoroughly cooked off), brown sugar, apple cider vinegar and red pepper flakes.  The glaze got crisped onto the skin, and was hugely influential in the final taste.

Hic said:

Looks good and I want to try it. I found the recipe on his website, http://www.adamperrylang.com/recipes/crisp-and-unctious-pork-belly

That's the one!  Enjoy!

THE DRU said:

I will do that on the Egg this weekend.  I only hope it looks as good as yours.

I'm sure it'll come out great.  Post pics when you're through!

EggerInCharlotte said:

A question from a guy that has never had pork belly;

I would love to try it (especially after your post, bicktrav!!).  But, isn't it like eating 99.99% fat?  Can you pork belly experts chime-in with comments and offer some feedback on that?

Thanks!

It is an extremely fatty cut; no question about that.  99 percent fat is (probably intentionally) hyperbolic, but you're certainly dealing with one of the fattier pieces of meat available.  If you picture a piece of bacon, which is made from pork belly, you'll get a good idea of the fat to meat ratio.  Bacon is sort of zebra striped with pink and white.  The pink stripes are meat; the white stripes are fat.  It's probably around 50/50 depending on the piece.  That's pretty much how the pork belly is.  If you're fat-averse, don't pick one up, but be aware that the same way bacon is tremendously flavorful, pork belly is tremendously flavorful.  That's because of the fat content.  Probably also worth noting that if you're so inclined, it's actually not that difficult to avoid the fat in pork belly and stick to eating the meat because the two portions are not terribly integrated.  But the fat imparts loads of flavor, so avoiding it may be missing the point a little.  Personally--and this is a nutritional digression--I don't think fat is nearly as dangerous as it's made out to be.  I do more to avoid sugars and refined carbohydrates.  Still, totally understand if you're not interested in the cut because of the fat content.