Belly Dancers....aka Pork Confit

Well marathon pork belly weekend continues. Bacon is curing away in the fridge so time to move on to Pork Confit. What’s that you say? French cuisine is to stuffy, pretentious, and complicated. Sometimes...but not confit. Confit began as a method to preserve meat before refrigeration and now it is used as a method to make meat super freaking delicious. Once you complete the basic process you will also have the ultimate fast food waiting for you in the fridge.

Making confit is actually pretty simple. The process takes time but is not time consuming, so plan accordingly. It makes a nice weekend project. This is only my second confit and I am already very comfortable with the process. Basically you cure the meat of choice in a mixture of salt and herbs, then slow cook that meat in it’s own fat. Once done the meat can be refrigerated for at least a month or two submerged in said fat and then pulled out and reheated at a moment’s notice. Like I said, “The ultimate fast food”. I am going to use pork belly for my confit but you could use a nice fatty pork shoulder, picnic, or rump roast, even pork loin. The key here is not the ingredients but the method. But you will need the following.

2-4lbs pork, belly or picnic roast work well
pork fat (ideal) or lard that will cover meat during cooking

salt and pepper
garlic
thyme
other spices…be creative!

Step 1: The Meat and the Cure

I am using pork belly with a nice layer of fat. I score this fat well with a sharp knife. It will help the cure penetrate. I have cut my belly into mostly 3x3 pieces.

The Cure

Here is where the only rule comes in. You want to use sufficient salt. According to Charcuturie you want to use a min. of 1/3 oz. salt per pound of meat. You can be creative with spices but I am going to keep it simple.

My Cure

Salt and Pepper

Fresh thyme

2-3 cloves garlic

Coat the pork pieces all over with the rub, transfer to non-reactive container and cover. Let the pork cure for 24-36 hours.

Step 2: The cooking process. I am including the ideal oven based instructions but since my oven has been out for a week I had to improvise. My confit was cooked on the stove top for about 3 hours. I kept the fat at a constant 200 and it bubbled vigorously. If I could I would preheat oven to 190. Remove the curing pork from the fridge, rinse with cold water, pat dry. Slowly warm up the rendered pork fat or lard in a stove/oven safe pot. Place the pork pieces in the fat and ensure the are submerged. Add the garlic and a few sprigs of fresh thyme. Place in oven and cook for 7 hours. You are looking for a very subtle bubbling. Temperatures and times differ widely on published recipes so don't be afraid to research and adjust. Once the pork is done remove from oven and allow to cool to manageable temp.. The pork could be sauteed up in a hot pan immediately but will only get better with storage and aging.

Step 3: Storage
Once the pork has cooled transfer the pieces to lidded containers. Pour the reserved fat over the pork to cover. Avoid pouring any non-fat liquids (they will have accumulated at the bottom of the pot). Refrigerate until ready to use. I promise a tasting report….patience.