Cooked up some pork belly using an APL recipe called "Crisp and Unctious Pork Belly". It sits in a marinade overnight then the meat sits in a foil pan for over 7 hours, including low and slow at 275° for about 5 1/2 hours and then resting for 2 hours. (Does sitting in a foil pan for so long count as BBQ?) After it turns all gelatinous and jiggly, it goes over direct fire to crisp up the skin.
I've done this a couple times before using a cheap, inadequate basket so this time around I decided to make something more substantial. I bought a couple 18.5" weber grates and secured them together using a combination of threaded rods, washers, hex nuts, and wing nuts. The hex nuts are used to secured one end and the wing nuts on the other end so I can adjust the height of the basket according to the meat's thickness. This way I could keep the loose meat secure when flipping, moving, etc.
I think the meat was a little overcooked. I used an internal probe and let it get to 208° internal because I was following the recipe time. I'm not sure why the recipe calls for such a long cook so next time I'm going to try stopping around 160°. Does that sound alright? And I still need to work on the crisping, but at least I'm making improvements compared to previous cooks. I also used a torch to try and even the browning out on the skin. Me like torch!
Here's the little one saying "take my picture!"
Served with homemade applesauce, arugula salad, corn hush puppies (courtesy of my wife), and a dab of English mustard.
I've done this a couple times before using a cheap, inadequate basket so this time around I decided to make something more substantial. I bought a couple 18.5" weber grates and secured them together using a combination of threaded rods, washers, hex nuts, and wing nuts. The hex nuts are used to secured one end and the wing nuts on the other end so I can adjust the height of the basket according to the meat's thickness. This way I could keep the loose meat secure when flipping, moving, etc.
I think the meat was a little overcooked. I used an internal probe and let it get to 208° internal because I was following the recipe time. I'm not sure why the recipe calls for such a long cook so next time I'm going to try stopping around 160°. Does that sound alright? And I still need to work on the crisping, but at least I'm making improvements compared to previous cooks. I also used a torch to try and even the browning out on the skin. Me like torch!
Here's the little one saying "take my picture!"
Served with homemade applesauce, arugula salad, corn hush puppies (courtesy of my wife), and a dab of English mustard.
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