Has anyone smoked pork belly?

[taxlady]

Here's a recipe for a Danish cold cut. I made with pork loin, but it is better with pork belly. By the way there is a link to pictures of the procedure. The link doesn't work anymore, but there is a new link in a comment further down the page. This cold cut is cured for a few days, so it lasts for a decent amount of time in the fridge. Do you happen to have a meat slicer, since this is best sliced very thin.

Rullepølse - Danish spiced meat roll

Rullepølse is a Danish cold cut. It is made in other Nordic countries with other names. It can be made with pork, beef, veal, lamb, game, and even turkey breast. This recipe has the classic seasoning. Nowadays people are making rullepølse with fresh herbs, chopped onion, garlic, and all sorts...

www.discusscooking.com

 

[taxlady]

I have three other recipes. They are in Danish. I can give you corrections to the Google Translate versions. One is a Yule roast with cracklings. One is for a beer braised pork roast, which I haven't tried. And the other one is for a more everyday meal. It was voted Denmark's national dish in 2014.

 

[pictonguy]

CD let me ask you. Do you enjoy pork fat enough for it to be the focus?

Basically what I normally end up with is a skin that has bubbled up and become very crispy and has a decent crunch while dissolving and dispersing nicely in a timely fashion in combination with the melted fat and meat within a slice of pork belly. If your a big ribeye fan, then that would indicate you may not find this objectionable. It's a lot of work and expense otherwise simply because a lot of people just don't have the palate to consume fat that way, and why I'm asking. cheers.

 

[caseydog]

Does your pork belly have the rind on?

No, although what is indicates on the label is that the "skin" has been removed. The fat layer is still there.

CD

 

[caseydog]

CD let me ask you. Do you enjoy pork fat enough for it to be the focus?

Basically what I normally end up with is a skin that has bubbled up and become very crispy and has a decent crunch while dissolving and dispersing nicely in a timely fashion in combination with the melted fat and meat within a slice of pork belly. If your a big ribeye fan, then that would indicate you may not find this objectionable. It's a lot of work and expense otherwise simply because a lot of people just don't have the palate to consume fat that way, and why I'm asking. cheers.

I'm okay with fatty meats. I can't eat a lot of it at one time, but I like it. The skin has been removed in the PB I found at HEB. No chicharron for me.

CD

 

[pictonguy]

I'm okay with fatty meats. I can't eat a lot of it at one time, but I like it. The skin has been removed in the PB I found at HEB. No chicharron for me.

CD

Ok, that's interesting CD. I remove the skin when I make bacon simply because it really can't be consumed very well, too tough and rubbery and pretty much all bacon is purchased that way, plus when adding a rub for example the coverage is better if the skin is removed, now you rub both sides, there's really no point adding a rub to the skin if it's going to be removed later.

If someone is cooking pork belly to an interior temp that allows it to be fully cooked, say 165-170 it's rather toothsome and not very desirable and why most people don't prepare it that way, especially if the skin is still attached. If someone cooks it low and slow with the skin, the skin needs to be removed simply because in that state it's really uneatable and when the skin is removed and then cooked low and slow it's basically a pulled pork dish and at that point it's better to go with shoulder, if you know what I mean.

The point I'm trying to get at is, pork belly that is revered by most people, especially Asian countries is the crackling and the contrast to the soft and luscious meat attached.

i would recommend, considering your PB has the skin removed to treat it like pulled pork and enjoy it that way, in my opinion of course considering you like the bacon your getting anyway. You could do it carnitas style, that would be a reasonable compromise I think.

 

[medtran49]

I always remove the skin anymore regardless of the recipe because we don't like the texture. Adjust your recipe as needed. You can use just the skin to make chicharrones if you want BTW.

If you cook the PB the day before, you can make clean cuts, then pan sautee the cut pieces to crisp up a lot of the fat. This is how the Serious Eats/Momofuku recipe says how to do it. It's what I did with the tacos as well.

I also have an Asian spiced recipe that braises the PB. It takes care of nearly all the PB fat, leaving a nice layer of fat to peel off the liquid after overnight in the refrigerator that can be saved and used for buns or whatever. The braising liquid after being defatted and cut a little with chicken or pork stock also makes a great stock for a ramen bowl.

 

[caseydog]

If you cook the PB the day before, you can make clean cuts, then pan sautee the cut pieces to crisp up a lot of the fat. This is how the Serious Eats/Momofuku recipe says how to do it. It's what I did with the tacos as well.

I've seen it done like that on YouTube. They don't stipulate cooling overnight, just cooling before pan frying. I figure 30-minutes to an hour in the fridge should work.

CD

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Chef David Chang is famous for those. I've seen him make them in a YouTube video. The part that would push my comfort zone is making the buns. But, something to consider, for sure.

CD

They say that cat Chang is a bad momofuku (shut your mouth!). But I'm talkin' 'bout Chang (then we can dig it).

 

[taxlady]

No, although what is indicates on the label is that the "skin" has been removed. The fat layer is still there.

CD

Well, then a couple of the recipes won't work quite as well as if there was rind. The cracklings as part of what Danes love about those dishes. There is a rolled roast as well as the rolled cold cut that don't use the skin.