| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 days 3 hr 30 min |
| Prep: | 45 min |
| Inactive: | 2 days 30 min |
| Cook: | 2 hr 15 min |
| Yield: | 10 to 12 servings |
Ingredients
- 40 cloves garlic (3 to 4 heads), lightly smashed
- 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
- 6 tablespoons dried juniper berries
- 3 tablespoons black peppercorns
- 1 bunch thyme
- 1 1/2 cups kosher salt
- 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 7-to-8-pound pork belly
- 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon dried juniper berries
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Make the brine. Fill a large pot with 1 gallon water. Add the garlic, fennel seeds, juniper berries, peppercorns and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, whisk in the salt and brown sugar and let cool to room temperature.
- Brine the pork. Put the pork belly in a large roasting pan and pour the brine over it. Cover and refrigerate 24 hours.
- Make the rub. Toast the fennel seeds, juniper berries and peppercorns in a medium skillet over medium heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Pulse a few times in a spice grinder until coarsely ground. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the nutmeg, thyme and garlic.
- Spice the pork. Remove the pork belly from the brine and pat it dry. Spread the rub on the flesh side of the pork belly, using just what adheres; you may have some rub left over. Put the pork belly skin-side up on a large rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate, uncovered, 24 hours to dry it out.
- Roll the pork. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. (If you have a convection setting, use it; preheat to 450 degrees F.) Flip the pork belly so it’s skin-side down. Starting at a long side, roll into a cylinder.
- Secure the roll with kitchen string: Tie separate pieces of string around the roll, about 3/4 inch apart.
- Prick the pork all over with a skewer; this helps render the fat so the skin gets crisp.
- Roast the pork. Put the pork belly on a rack set on a rimmed baking sheet. Tuck 4 upside-down spoons around the pork to keep it from rolling around. Roast 30 minutes, using a baster to baste the pork with the drippings and rotating the pan every 10 minutes. Turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees F (325 degrees F for convection) and continue roasting, rotating the pan every 15 minutes, until the pork registers 155 degrees F on a thermometer, about 1 1/2 more hours.
- Slice the pork. Let the pork rest 30 to 40 minutes, then cut off the string and slice about 3/4 inch thick.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 500 |
| Total Fat | 28 g |
| Saturated Fat | 10 g |
| Carbohydrates | 14 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Protein | 45 g |
| Cholesterol | 139 mg |
| Sodium | 726 mg |
Reviews
This was the hit of my dinner party! Perfectly tender and crispy skin on the outside! Doing it again for Easter dinner! Yum!!!
This was amazing! i have done this twice now and have never been disappointed. My extended Family could not get enough of it. This is now the Christmas Holiday goto meal. I am trying it again this weekend on the grill with Porcelet Belly.
NO NO NO! I did the whole project. Skin was crisp, meat was tender, pork fat was repulsive.