Ok..... trying a little experiment with salt pork belly........

[firerescueman]

Ok all,   

If you read my last post,  you probably know that my butcher ordered the wrong thing for me and I ended up with a 27 lb FULLY CURED salt pork belly instead of a fresh belly.   He is going to reorder for me but told me to just keep what  I have and he won't charge me for the new belly.   I am trying something and want to know what you think it will turn out like and see if you have any suggestions....   (I figure if I mess it up....  what the heck,  it was free!)


I took the cured belly,  cut it into approximately 5 lb sections and removed the rind.   I then rinsed them thoroughly and soaked them for about an hour.  removed them from the cold water and patted them dry.  after patting them dry,  I mixed 1 cup of white sugar with 1 cup of brown sugar for each 5 lb piece of belly.  I used a basting brush to spread pure dark maple syrup all over the outside of each piece then coated with the sugar mixture and placed in ziploc bags in the fridge.  I repeated the process for each piece.  I figured I would let them sit in this mixture for a few days in the fridge before smoking,  in hopes that the belly would still be able to soak up some of the flavor even though it is already fully cured.
Will this still be too salty to eat fried? 

Any comments?  Anybody ever try this?   Again,  I figured I had a freebie,  so why not?

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Jeff

[Gizmo]

Worth a shot in my book.

You might want to check the web for Salted Pork Belly recipes.  A favorite ingredient for many dishes.

[Habanero Smoker]

Like Gizmo states its worth a shot, it may work. The only thing I would have changed was to test it for saltiness prior to applying the mixture.

So it looks like the salted pork belly has enough meat in it to make it worth frying?

[firerescueman]

Yes,   the salted belly had plenty of meat to make it worth frying.   It was actually a very nice belly.  I soaked for about an hour and fried a piece.  It was salty,  but not unbearable.  I soaked it for another hour then patted dry and applied the mixture.   I figured I would let it sit for a couple of days and test it again.  I figured it wouldn't hurt for it to sit in this mixture for about a week or so since the product is already cured.   I guess we will see how it turns out.  I plan on smoking it this weekend.   If nothing else,  I will have alot of bacon to season with!


This forum is fantastic for a newbie like me.   I have been reading alot here lately.  Thanks to all of you who regularly answer questions on here.  I really appreciate it (and so does my family.....  they have to EAT what I smoke!)


Jeff

[firerescueman]

Oh well,   it was worth a shot.     I will use it to season some beans or something.   Not at all salvagable as frying bacon.