Things to consider when buying pork belly
Quality of meat
In North America, good pork belly can typically be sourced from farmers markets or other sustainable farming suppliers. The main thing to look for in pork belly is a nice, thick layer of fat. If you are lucky enough to find Berkshire pork, look for a nice pinkish color to indicate a high tone of intramuscular fat, which means higher moisture, which leads to the most delicious and tender pork belly.
In my opinion, the quality of the pork is the most important factor. I like my pork belly from a local farmer who uses organic methods to raise their animals. The meat will be darker than conventionally raised pork, but that is the price you pay for better tasting meat (both the pig and the pig’s end product).
If you can’t find a local source for Berkshire or free-range pork, use cost as a guide. The more the meat is raised, the more it is worth, so if you can’t find free-range pork, seek out a higher-quality product at a reasonable price and know that you aren’t doing your bank balance any favors.
Cost and size
Depending on your location, pork belly may be known by other names including pork spare ribs or just spare ribs in general. Imagine a rectangular slab of meat that is about 3 inches thick.
The size or length of the pork belly is not too big though.
It should ideally be around 16 -20 pounds (not including the fat). The weight of a pork belly can go up to around 35 pounds.
Customization
If you are a foodie who likes to experiment with different foods, pork belly is the perfect meat for you. While the meat is delicious as it is, you can add more to your taste buds by cooking it in a way that you are comfortable with. The pork belly comes either as a whole piece or as slices made from the belly of the pork. With it in hand, make up your mind and tell the butcher how you want it cut. While many meat shops have the pork belly cuts pre-packaged, you can request the butcher to cut the meat in a way that you are comfortable with. For example, in some countries, the pork belly cut is sold as 3 individual portions: the belly, the skin, and a piece of tenderloin all attached to one another (macrowise). In the U.S., you might find the pork belly with the tenderloin and skin cut off to make the piece smaller. However, at your request, the butcher can cut it in a way that you like.
Where to buy pork belly
Pork belly is the extremely flavorful cut of meat on a pig’s underside … think bacon. This pale, flaky meat is immaculately savory and contains a richly layered depth of aromas.
Its high fat content not only provides the melt-in-your-mouth tenderness, but also gives it a unique flavor and succulent texture.
Locally
Pork belly is one of the most delicious parts of the pork. With its high fat content, it’s the pork belly I use to make delicious porchetta and crispy pork belly and I also slow cook it in the oven until it’s tender and delicious.
Pork belly is commonly sold in supermarkets in either the meat or the frozen food sections. If you can’t locate it in your supermarket, another excellent option is going to your local butcher of choice and ask them if they carry pork belly.
Depending on what they have in-stock, the butcher might offer it to you uncured or cured. Both of them will do a great job for a slow cooker or oven cooked porchetta, but you can also make “un-pork belly”.
Buy Pork Belly Online
Pork belly time
What if you feel like cooking some pork belly but you don’t know where to buy it?
Search your nearest Asian supermarket. Most, if not all of them, carry pork belly.
You can also try purchasing it from local butchers and specialty stores and even from your local farmers market.
Make sure to always ask for belly, not ribs, which are also commonly sold as pork belly but is different. The former is known to be the most flavorful cut because it’s the most juicy and fatty.
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