How to pickle pork belly at home

Pork belly is considered to be a universal product, it is served for the festive table and used in the daily diet. Not all housewives know how to pickle meat on their own, so they resort to purchased compositions. Consider the important aspects in order.

How to choose pork belly

1. For salting the brisket at home is the best fresh cut, which has a thin, intact skin. In this case, always pay attention to the smell, it should be not repulsive, but, on the contrary, pleasant.
2. Refuse to purchase the product in large supermarkets, as a rule, in these stores released "weathered goods". Give preference to proven "home" sellers, but rather buy brisket directly on the farm.
3. Choose a piece that has the same largest meat and fat layers. Such a feature will allow salting the brisket as qualitatively and evenly as possible.
4. Before you go shopping for meat, prepare a perfectly sharpened knife with a sharp edge of the blade. When you find the copy you like, insert a cutlery into its cavity. The knife should penetrate into the meat evenly, without hesitation and jolts.

Pork belly preparation

After acquiring the most delicious piece, it must be carefully prepared for further manipulations.

1. To properly carry out the procedure, scrape the blade of fat and skin with a knife blade, removing the top layer. After that, wash the meat under the tap, carefully removing possible invisible plaque. Next, you need to lay out on a flat surface paper towels in 4-5 layers and wrap them bacon. Such a move will help collect excess fluid.
2. When the brisket is completely dried, proceed to the selection of a suitable salt. The best composition is considered the best, since the ground mixture sprinkles only the top layer.Such a move does not prevent the process of decay, because the inner rows are not dehydrated. Iodized salt is also not suitable, because it burns the surface of the brisket, causing rapid deterioration of the product.
3. Important attention should be paid to suitable salting dishes. Here only those containers that are made of materials that are not susceptible to oxidation will do. This may be a glass jar or a dish with high sides, a plastic container for storing food or heating in a microwave, a ceramic bowl with a lid, or an enamel pan.

Pork belly: dry salted

• pork belly - 1.2-1.4 kg.
• salt large - 210 gr.
• ground pepper (red) - at the discretion
• ground pepper (black) - 20 gr.
• garlic - 8 teeth

1. Cut the previously washed and dried brisket so that you get pieces of the same size (about 7 * 9 cm). It is important that the product is cut through to the skin.
2. Peel the garlic cloves, cut them into thin slices, insert into the resulting slots. Mix ground red and black pepper, rub the loose mixture of pieces from all sides.
3. Wrap the brisket slices in parchment paper, or use suitable non-oxidizing dishes that tightly clog up.
4. Send the product to the refrigerator for 24-26 hours, after this period, remove the pork and move it in the freezer for another day. When the specified period passes, remove the brisket, cut into slices and taste.

Pork belly in brine

• brisket - 1–1.2 kg.
• purified water - 1.2 l.
• chili pepper - 1 pod
• pepper (peas) - 12 pcs.
• bay leaf - 7 pcs.
• fennel (seeds) - at discretion
• cumin - to taste
• coriander (seeds) - to taste
• carnation - 6 buds
• potato - 1 tuber
• ground pepper (black) - 10 gr.
• mustard powder - 10 g.
• garlic - 7 teeth
• table salt

1. Cut the brisket into pieces of about 6 * 8 cm. Place the product in a suitable container that does not undergo oxidation.
2. Pour filtered water into an enameled pot with thick walls, peel 1 potato tuber, send it to a container with water.
3. Add salt in such quantity until the potatoes begin to float to the surface. Once this happens, remove the tuber, add coriander, cloves, fennel seeds, chili pepper, pea pepper, cumin, mustard powder, bay leaf.
4. Put the pot on the stove, bring to a boil, simmer another 5 minutes. After the specified period, cool the solution to a temperature of 45-50 degrees. Pour the obtained brine pieces of brisket in such a way that the liquid covered the meat by 1-2 cm.
5. Cover the pot with a lid, put it in the refrigerator for 2 days. After that, get, evaluate the result, if necessary, increase the exposure time to 3 days.

Pork belly with garlic

• pork belly - 550-600 gr.
• table salt - 100 gr.
• garlic - 6 teeth
• ground black pepper to taste

1. Washed bacon cut into small pieces the size of 6 * 9 cm., Then make cuts on the surface of the skins, which will be located at a distance of 1-1.5 cm.
2. Peel the garlic teeth, chop them into thin slices, insert into the resulting cuts. Sprinkle with salt, rub it over the entire surface. Mix the salt with black pepper, put loose mixture on the sides of the brisket.
3. Roll the gauze fabric in 3 layers, wrap the bacon grated in with spices, place in a plastic container, close the lid. Put the product in the fridge, wait 10–12 hours.
4. After a fixed period of time, change the gauze used with a clean cloth, and if necessary, again rub the breast with salt and pepper. Refrigerate again for 24 hours.
5. After this time, clean the surface of the product with a knife, removing excess salt. Remove the garlic slices, cut the meat into thin slices, add a slice of bread and green onions.

Pork belly: salting in a slow cooker

• pork belly - 1 kg.
• bay leaf - 6 pcs.
• purified drinking water - 1.2 l.
• Onion husks - 2 handfuls
• salt - 225 gr.
• garlic - 10 teeth
• granulated sugar (preferably cane) - 60 gr.
• Black pepper (pea) - 12 pcs.

1. Soak the onion peel in cool water, leave for half an hour. After the expiration date, transfer the product to a colander, rinse, partially dry.
2. Prepare a bowl of the multicooker, cover it with the bottom of the previously soaked husk and bay leaves.
3. Pour water into a separate enameled pan, add salt and granulated sugar, wait for the granules to dissolve. After that, pour the solution into the multicooker container.
4. Cut the pork belly into portions, approximately 7 * 8 cm in size, send them in saline solution.
5. Set the function of extinguishing on the device, turn on the slow cooker for 2 hours.After the expiration date, set the “Heating” mode; the exposure time is 8 hours.
6. Pass the garlic through the press, mix with pepper, rub the bacon. Wrap in food film, send in the freezer for 12 hours.

On the shelves of stores lined with products, stuffed with all sorts of additives and preservatives. For this reason, many people prefer to pickle bacon at home, while getting 100% natural product. Adapt recipes "for yourself", experiment with seasonings.

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