Cured Pork Belly
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 3 star anise
- 1 tbsp white peppercorns
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- ½ cup kosher salt
- 5 lbs boneless, skinless pork belly
How-to
Make Cure
- Add Sichuan, white and black peppercorns to a dry pan over medium heat along with star anise and cloves. Toast 2-3 minutes until fragrant
- Remove from heat and allow to cool, then transfer to a coffee or spice grinder. Grind to a fine consistency
- Mix the ground spices with salt, brown sugar and minced garlic in a medium bowl
Cure Belly
- Rub the cure over the entire pork belly on the top, bottom and sides
- Place into a two-gallon ziplock bag, and into a cake pan (to prevent any leakage in the refrigerator). Refrigerate the pork at least 7 days, flipping the belly over every couple of days to assure even curing
- After seven days, poke the belly in its thickest part -- it should be relatively firm. If not, it may not be fully cured -- return to the refrigerator and cure another 2-3 days until this firmness is achieved
- One fully cured, remove from the bag and place onto a small baking rack set over a baking pan and refrigerate another 1-2 days to allow to dry (this step is not absolutely necessary, but it will intensify the flavor)
- From here, the belly can be cut into smaller pieces and frozen if not consumed at once
- When ready to cook, slice like bacon, then cut into smaller batons and cook in a lightly-oiled pan as you would bacon