Wet-cured pancetta (curing stage)
J. Kenji López-Alt · ♥ 5.9K likes · 235.8K views · 25 min video
Read about pork belly in the BrightCulinary Book
Timestamp
Ingredients
Method
Techniques
- 20 g pepper
- 6 whole dried Turkish bay leaves
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- 250 g kosher salt
- 125 g sugar
- 15 g Insta Cure number one
Combine kosher salt, sugar and Insta Cure #1 in a sealed container and shake until well incorporated (or whisk in a bowl).
The curing dredge: salt, sugar and cure
- pork belly
Coarsely grind the pepper in a mortar and pestle or pepper mill, or crack whole peppercorns under a pan.
Trim the pork belly, squaring off the sides so it fits the bag and comes out neat; keep the trim for cooking.
Squaring off the pork belly
- curing dredge
Put a quarter to a third of the dredge in an even layer and coat the pork heavily on all sides.
Dredging like a heavy blizzard
- 5 cloves garlic
Smash and roughly chop the garlic; crush the bay leaves; strip the rosemary needles against their direction.
Choosing the aromatics
Spread garlic, bay, rosemary and two thirds of the pepper on one side.
Seasoning both sides in the bag
Slide the belly into the bag seasoned side up, flip it in the bag and season the other side with the rest of the aromatics and pepper, adding any stray dredge.
Seal, removing the air with a vacuum sealer or by submerging the bag in a tub of water before closing the last inch.
Sealing by displacement
Lay in a quarter sheet pan, ideally weighted with another pan, zipper side up; refrigerate about a week.
A week in the fridge, overhauling
Every other day flip the bag and massage it to redistribute the liquefied cure (overhauling); when cured it should feel firmer than when raw.