Belly in leek

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg pork belly, well marbled
• 40 g curing salt
• 50 g leek, chopped
• 1 m.-large shallot(s), chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 50 ml white wine
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tbsp olive oil, more if necessary
• 1 ½ g black pepper
• 2 ½ g sweet paprika powder
• ½ g ginger
• 0.2 g cayenne pepper
• 0.2 g mace or ground caraway, depending on your preference

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Rest period approx. 3 days; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours 20 minutes; Total time approx. 3 days 3 hours

Pork belly cured according to Eifel-Ardennes seasoning recipe

The meat is placed in a vacuum bag with curing salt, leek, shallot, and garlic, distributed evenly and vacuum-sealed. Vacuum-cure for 72-96 hours in the refrigerator. Then, unpack it (retaining some of the curing liquid), rinse it, and vacuum-seal it again with a little water, the white wine, and a tablespoon of the curing liquid. This only works with a chamber vacuum sealer. If you don’t have one, you can also place it in a pot with the vacuum bag still open and simmer gently in a suitably large pot for about 2 hours. Then score the rind like a roast with a crackling, place the roast in the oven with top heat/grill, and grill at 200°C. As soon as the surface starts to brown, brush it several times with the honey mixture. After about 20 minutes, the “belly in leek” should be ready. Let it cool and serve in thin slices as a sandwich topping.