We've had some threads on pork belly. I've posted pics of my usual method. But I can't find that old thread, so here's an abbreviated version. - Assuming you're starting w/ a slab of pork belly, with skin then fat then meat, cut into a piece that will just fit into a dutch oven or similar oven proof pot w/ lid - Score (make cut about 1/4" deep) skin in cross cross lines, like a checkerboard, each section will be a bite-sized piece so size them accordingly, about 1" squares, and use toothpick to poke a whole in the center of each square - Place piece in pot, skin up, add some aromatics (onion, celery, garlic, etc), pepper corns, and then equal parts red wine and stock to cover the meat. If you have knuckles, feet or other sources of gelatin, add them too. - On stovetop, bring liquid to boil then reduce to simmer, cover pot, simmer for 4 hours or until pork meat is very tender but not falling apart. Stop well short of "pulled pork". - meanwhile, start preheating over to 450F - Remove piece from liquid, supporting it so that it doesn't fall apart, set it aside. - Strain solids from liquid, bring liquid to boil, boil until reduced so that, when the piece is placed back in the liquid, liquid will come most of the way up the sides of the meat while leaving the skin exposed - I.e. reduce by about half. Liquid will have thickened, if needed whisk in some flour or cornstarch to bring to a sauce consistency, on the thin side though - Replace meat in liquid, skin side up - Move pot to 450F oven, uncovered, you want to brown and crisp the skin, while the liquid protects the meat and fat layers - Roast until skin is brown and crisp, you can also use the broiler if you're impatient and willing to watch like a hawk - Remove pot from oven, move piece to board, place toothpicks in each pre-scored square, cut into score lines to separate each piece. If you hadn't scored the skin and pre-poked the hole, pressure on the crisp skin layer would squash out the soft fat and meat layers - but you thought ahead - Serve with sauce poured over the pieces - Severely rich, I can eat three or four pieces at most, and don't let it get cold, it'll congeal and look scary - use a heated platter - You can add a glaze to the skin as you're roasting (honey, hoisin, char sui, whatever) - The goal is a single bite that combines crisp skin, melting fat, tender meat, and rich sauce. The most common mistake is overcooking the skin to blackened hardness :-( dcarch knows about an Asian trick of pricking the skin with needle before roasting, to make it even crispier. I haven't gotten that to work myself.

Wow....I just looked at that recipe with a critical eye.....that will be a mucky mess...it will be something like an egg strata without the eggs...It will be too soft to pack into a rolled pork roast....if you put in 3 cups of milk! I would only add as much liquid as you need to moisten....and that liquid wouldn't be milk but broth. Teh fruits and vegetables sound wonderful together....but then it goes and adds a lot of bread and milk. I'll bet it would be good baked in a casserole though and served as a side.

I agree with Peppi, today's pork is leaner than ever, and it dries out quickly. It's very easy to overcook and then it will be dry. I like this recipe from Cooking Light, the apple cider brine gives a nice flavor, as do the herbs, and keeps the pork a bit moister. I never remember to brine it overnight, a couple of hours will do if that's what you have. I seldom have pork and fresh herbs available at the same time, so I use dried and I have subbed mustard seed for the coriander when I didn't have that. Lots of times I didn't make the cider reduction either, but it's very good. It's all good. Cider Brined Pork Loin 3 cups water 3 cups apple cider 1/4 cup kosher salt 1 tablespoon black peppercorns 1 tablespoon coriander seeds 1 bay leaf 1 (2-pound) boneless pork loin, trimmed 2 cups apple cider Cooking spray 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Combine the first 6 ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring until salt dissolves. Remove from heat; cool. Pour brine into a 2-gallon zip-top plastic bag. Add pork; seal. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight, turning bag occasionally. Preheat oven to 350�. Bring 2 cups cider to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until cider has thickened and reduced to 1/4 cup (about 15 minutes). Set aside. Remove pork from bag; discard brine. Place pork on rack of a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat pork with cooking spray. Combine rosemary, sage, and black pepper; sprinkle evenly over pork. Bake at 350� for 1 hour or until thermometer registers 155�, basting twice with cider reduction during final 20 minutes of cooking. Remove from oven; baste with remaining cider reduction. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Note: Overnight brining tenderizes the roast. If the cider reduction becomes too thick to brush on the pork, warm it in a saucepan over low heat. Annie Kathryn Conrad, Cooking Light OCTOBER 2004

Yes salt pork is a little different. I like salt pork diced up in my dry beans in the slow cooker. I have some for next week. I have been doing a lot of those kinds of meals while living in the rv. It's easy to use my aroma cooker and doesn't heat up the rv. It does however make the whole rv smell good. I had a worker who knocked on the rv door one day, I had the aroma cooker loaded with a 15 bean mix with ham and salt pork. It was smelling wonderful. I opened the door and the smell wafted out and he just stood there and said omg whatever you are cooking smells wonderful. He said next time I will do the work for free if you feed me that kind of meal. I said that is a deal! He asked me if I was by any chance Cajun. I said yes why, he said his grandmother was Cajun and the last time he smelled something that good it was at her house in Louisiana years ago. Very nice sweet guy. I would definitely feed him lol