From “Charcuterie” – by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn
This traditional pork belly preparation can be made either as a slab (stesa) or roll (arrotolata), as you prefer.
For the dry cure:
- Pork belly 10 lb. (4.5kg)
- Garlic, minced 4 cloves
- InstaCure #2 (0.25% of meat weight) 2 tsp (11g)
- Kosher salt (3% of meat weight 3/4 cup (120g)
- Dark brown sugar 2 tbsp (30g)
- Black pepper, coarsely ground 4 tbsp (8g)
- Juniper berries, crushed 2 tbsp (10g)
- Bay leaves, crumbled 4 (4g)
- Nutmeg, freshly grated 1 tsp (2g)
- Fresh thyme 4 or 5 sprigs
Instructions
- Mix Dry Cure Ingredients well and rub onto meat, making sure to cover all nooks and crannies.
- Transfer meat into a Ziplock or Foodsaver bag and place in your refrigerator for two weeks to cure.
- After the curing process, remove meat from bag, and rinse off cure under running water.
- Transfer to UMAi Dry® and place place on an open wire rack to dry in your refrigerator four to eight weeks, or until 35-40% reduction in weight.
- After drying is complete, slice thin and enjoy! For perfect, paper thin slices every time, we highly recommend the Chef’s Choice Model 632 Deli Slicer.