Slow-roasted Spiced Pork Belly

The next few posts are going to be from the backlog, since there are several posts I’ve been meaning to make.  The following dish I’ve made twice, and it’s turned out pretty good both times.

Pork belly is a cut of meat that’s not often used directly in Western cooking, though it’s the cut that’s used to make bacon and pancetta.  It usually has the skin attached, a layer of fat under that, and then tender, marbled meat under that.  Any Asian grocery store with a butcher’s counter will stock it, it’s very cheap, and it’s really, really good.  The only thing I’d add to the recipe is to be careful when you’re scoring the skin to put the herb/spice paste in.  Pork skin is tough to get through, so either use a sharp knife, or a serrated one, and be careful to let the serrations do the cutting, rather than pushing down and sawing the skin back and forth.  The deeper into the top layer of fat you can get the herbs and spices, the better.  As the pork belly roasts, the flavors from the rosemary, thyme, and fennel will be carried down with the melting fat, seasoning the rest of the meat as it drips into the pan.  I didn’t take any pictures, but below is the image from the recipe page, and it’s turned out exactly like this:

Slow-Roasted Spiced Pork at Cook Almost Anything