Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Pork Belly

Costco had Pork Bellies in our local store today. I bought one.
What do I do with it? Any suggestions?

slice it up and cook it with beans, onions, tomato sauce, brown sugar and serve it over cornbread

Better check the use by date to make sure it's safe to eat.......

Laffin1-4!! Thanks!!

mcm...I've never seen pork bellies at Costco before.

How much does it weigh??

blanket, nice post. Put some pics up, please.

Thanks. LD

About 9 1/2 lbs.

Make bacon

Our local Costco has just started stocking it too. Very interested in what yall have to say about its uses.

Get a bag of Morton Sugar Cure and make bacon. It really is very easy and it will be better than what you can get at the store.
You could also slice it up as it is and use it as fresh side, fresh side is good eating too.
Bill

Lately, after seeing it done on Triple D and an episode of BBQ Pitmasters, I've been braising it and then crisping it up on a hot grill. It is amazing! The best and most affordable place to buy it here is our local Asian market.

Mike

That's exactly what I was thinking. Could you provide some detail as to your process

No problem. I really don't have a "recipe" as I did a lot of reading and used some things from everything I read. First I crosshatch score the belly down to the meat on the fat side and season with my favorite rub making sure to get it in all the cracks. Next brown it on all sides in your pan at high heat to get some color on it (don't do this naked, there's a lot of popping and cracking! ). I use a Le Creuset enamel coated cast iron dutch oven, but a straight cast would be fine.

Remove the belly and deglaze the pan with beer. Add sliced carrots, parsnips, onions and celery. Place the belly back in and cover with 1/2 beer and 1/2 apple juice. Bring it to a simmer in your cooker or oven. My cooker does that at about 275*. Check after 3 hours for fork tenderness, It can go as long as 5 hours depending on the size/thickness, but you don't want it falling apart.

When you reach fork tender, remove and get your grill/cooker/cast iron skillet hot and sear it until crispy on the outside. Slice into 1" thick strips and enjoy some of the best eats you will ever put in your mouth! Don't throw away those braising veggies! They are amazing having been cooked in that braising liquid!

Mike

If the bellies havent been treated with anything, salt and smoke them, the old fashion way.

The BBQ Pit Boys have a video doing a couple of pork bellies.

http://bbqpitboys.com/recipes/bbq-pork-belly#.VZfg0Is-Du0

Now there's a visual never to be thought of again!!

Rubbed it with my rub, seared it at 600 degrees for 20 minutes, turned heat down to 325 degrees and cooked for 90 minutes. Added a can of beer to pan and cooked for another 90 minutes.
Delicious, if a little greasy.
Still gonna play around with it. Thinking if I let it cool and slice into strips, like bacon, I can then brown in a pan, and render more of the fat out.