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Crispy Pork Belly

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    Crispy Pork Belly

    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.

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    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.
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    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!
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    Here's the little one saying "take my picture!"
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    Served with homemade applesauce, arugula salad, corn hush puppies (courtesy of my wife), and a dab of English mustard.
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    Last edited by eugenek; January 4, 2015, 12:27 PM.

    #2
    Eugene, I like that Mod man! Looks very well put together. Necessity is the mother of invention. Looks like it worked well.

    I don't know why they even list cook times, it just screws people up. Meathead says to always cook by temp not time. The times that recipes give you is just a ballpark figure of how long it should take. Different animals/conditions etc. make for differing cook times. So as a rule of thumb for me, I always cook by temp not time.

    If you stop at 160 F on your next cook, thats fine, but make sure that is the level of doness your shooting for. I would think you would want to go for closer to 200 F to get all the connective tissues broken down and make that belly like butta.

    I don't know if browning with the torch is the best idea. I tried it once a while back and the food tasted like fuel. Not appetizing. I was using a creme boulle torch when I did mine. So maybe it would be different than what your using but, I would advise against using the torch to sear the meat. Perhaps the reverse sear would be in order to get a nice sear on the outside. I don't know if thats possible with a Belly but it may be something to look into. Or you could put it in a large roasting pan and put it under the broiler in your oven as well. There are a few other options for you to try. I just don't want to see someone make the same mistake I did with a torch and ruin a good Belly in the process!
    Nice write up and pics. Looking forward to the results from your next belly.

    -John

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      #3
      Awesome post ek!

      Comment


        #4
        John, thanks for the good advice. I didn't get any noticeable fuel taste from the torch but I used it pretty sparingly, too, mostly on the edges that curved up. Very happy with how the basket turned out. I can adjust all four corners to better match the meat and it accommodates larger cuts.

        Comment


          #5
          Nice. Love some fried corn nuggets.

          Comment


            #6
            Yumm... My porchetta goes to an internal of 160. The safe temperature for pork was lowered to 145 from 160 but I still go to 160 for everything except tenderloin.

            Nice looking finish. If you like blowtorch work, here is how I finish up ribs....

            ​

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