I bought some fresh bacon today at the farmers market. It isnt cured or smoked or anything, which I assume makes it more properly called pork belly rather than bacon. Anyway what should I do with it? How might I cook it?
I slow roast it on a bed of sliced onions, then brush it with honey toward the end of the cook time and crank the heat up. I use a recipe I found online–when I’m on a computer later this morning I’ll come back and post it.
I’ve never tried it, but my current chef crush, Anne Burrell, featured a braised pork belly on her show on the Food Network. It looked delicious. But since it’s a show, that’s all I got - no idea how it actually tastes.
Crispy Mustard Braised Pork Belly
Oh! She uses a rub and lets it sit in the fridge for a day before braising, so keep that in mind if you’re hoping to cook your pork belly tonight.
Slowly!
The fat in belly needs a long time to break down and imbue the rest with unctuous goodness. If the recipe calls for the skin to be removed, you can roast it separately with the heat way up to get cracking crackling.
I’m blessed with a local supply of amazing pork and, as belly is one of the best value cuts, I get through quite a lot. I’ve yet to find a way of preparation that I don’t like. 
It goes particularly well with coriander seeds, mustard, cumin and garlic or some combination thereof. You could try:
[ul]
[li]Slow roast with a spice rub. There’s a nice Hugh Fearnley-Whittonstall recipe here[/li][li]Simmered with garlic and herbs with the water barely moving for a couple of hours then added to a casserole or cut up and fried into carnitas.[/li][li]Salted, it will keep for a couple of months and makes the best pork & beans ever, or petit sale aux lentilles (in both cases you soak it overnight before using).[/li][li]I’m currently attempting a home-made pancetta. It’s still got another couple of weeks to go, so I don’t know how well it’s going to turn out.[/li][/ul]
want ! ! !
Usually I cut it into cubes, sear it in a hot pan, then make bean stew (with plenty of paprika) in which it cooks for at least a couple of hours. You need dried beans, obviously.
I can never find it around here. If I could I would cure it and smoke it with apple wood. Its alot cheaper than buying Nueske’s.
Fresh, I would brine it and roast it low and slow, maybe adding a little smoke at the beginning.
Thanks, here is what happened.
When I opened the package I discovered it had already been sliced, lengthwise, basically like thick cut bacon. So I salt and peppered it; seared it in my cast iron skillet until a little brown. I removed the meat and seared off baby carrots, chopped onion, whole garlic, and fresh jalapeno. I put the meat back in and filled the skillet with chicken stock covering the meat up to about 3 quarters. I put it in the 350 oven and let it cook off for about an hour and forty five minutes. As the broth reduced it exposed the now softened pork which then got a crispy patina. I removed the meat and veggies, strained the gravy and served it all together.
I was delicious, excellent. We ate the leftovers for breakfast this morning.
Thanks for all the advice. I wish I had bought more.