A bit of a delay in getting this latest post out, I was visiting Cuba with my dad.  I will do a post about my trip in the near future.  Don’t worry we still have plenty of Hoosier to write about and serve.

Pig belly, oh glorious pig belly, a perfect marriage of meat and fat.  Cooked properly it has an unmatched succulence, melt in your mouth fat with just the right amount of meat.

At EVOO we have cooked pig bellies many different ways, usually braised, then glazed with a myriad of sweet and / or spicy sauces, sometimes fried and often finished on the grill.  Every so often we will cure and smoke the bellies to make bacon, though I get more satisfaction out of the other preparations.

Hoosier’s belly on the grill

Hoosier’s belly is being prepared this way: Sweet Soy Glazed Grilled Pig Belly with Miso Laced Parsnip Puree, Roasted Radishes and Carrot – Daikon Sprout Salad

After braising the bellies we trim them to make evenly cut, nice looking, portion sized pieces.  With those trimmings we remove the skin and pulverize the crap out them making a semi-chunky paste, kind of like rillettes, only better.  We serve it at room temperature as a spread with homemade pickles.

Pulverized Braised Pig Belly with Arugula, Pickled Garlic Scapes and Grilled Bread

One of my favorite preparations: Gochujang Glazed Braised Pig Belly

The Hams are just about ready, they will be the subject of the next post.