Cured Pork Belly
Ingredients
- 1.5 kgs free-range pork back fat or belly
- 6 bay leaves
- 2 bunches fresh thyme
- 1/4 cup black peppercorns crushed
Dry Cure Mix
- 225gms salt
- 115 gms sugar
- 25gms pink salt
Method
Sprinkle a quarter of the dry cure mix into a non-reactive baking pan large enough to hold the pork. Place the pork on top, and sprinkle the remaining cure mix over it. Distribute the remaining ingredients on top of the pork and cover with plastic wrap, then wrap in foil to protect the pork from light.
Weight the pork with about 3 kgs and refrigerate for 10 to 12 days turning it and rubbing it twice to redistribute the cure. The pork is cured when it feels uniformly dense and stiff.
Remove the pork from the pan, rinse thoroughly under cold water, and pat dry. Wrap the pork in a few layers of cheesecloth. Poke a hole in one corner of the pork and tie a string through it to make a loop for hanging.
Hang the pork to dry in a cool, dark, humid place for 18 to 24 days.