Cured pork adapted from Eric Skokan of Black Cat Restaurant and .
Ingredients
1 (5 1/2-pound) piece of fresh, skin-on pork belly
CURE
2 ounces kosher salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons black pepper, cracked
2 tablespoons juniper berries, cracked
4 bay leaves
1 teaspoon nutmeg
Fresh thyme
AFTER CURING
1 tablespoon black pepper, cracked
Directions
Place the pork belly meat side up. Using a sharp boning knife, make the piece more level by trimming off any extra bits of muscle or fat. Square off the edges with a chef’s knife.
Rinse the pork belly and pat it dry. Place it on a cutting board, skin side up. To remove the skin, use a sharp boning knife. Be careful not to remove too much fat or cut too deeply. (Pulling the skin toward you as you cut helps prevent this.) Keep cutting until the skin is completely removed.
Mix together cure ingredients.
Place pork belly on a rimmed baking sheet and rub cure all over its surfaces. Carefully place belly in a large (2- to 2 1/2-gallon) sealable bag. Once it’s inside, rub the belly to redistribute the ingredients that may have fallen off while you moved it. Fold over excess plastic and press down to remove as much air as possible. Seal bag.
Place bagged pork belly on a baking sheet and place it in the refrigerator. Weight it by placing a pot or dish that is roughly the same size as the pork right on top of the bag, and place a 3-pound weight in the dish. (A box of salt or a few cans of tomatoes work great.)
Refrigerate weighted belly for 7 days, flipping it over every day. After 7 days, remove belly from refrigerator and press down on it to check the firmness. It should feel uniformly firm throughout, as if you’re pressing down on a soccer ball. If the belly is still squishy like raw meat, return it to refrigerator for up to 3 more days.
Remove pork belly from the refrigerator and rinse off curing mixture under cool running water.
Move pork to a clean cutting board and pat it dry. Place it meat side up. Crush the remaining tablespoon of black peppercorns with a heavy pot and rub the crushed pepper over all the meat sides to create an even coating.
Roll pork belly very, very tightly into a cylindrical shape, starting at whichever end makes the roll most uniform. Make sure there are no air pockets inside the pancetta. Tie it very tightly with butcher’s twine at 1- to 1 1/2-inch intervals. Be sure to leave enough extra twine to hang the pancetta with.
Hang pancetta in a slightly cool, dark, moderately humid place where air can circulate freely around it. (Ideal conditions are around 60 degrees and around 60 percent humidity.) Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from air vents. A basement is ideal.
Let pancetta hang for 2 weeks. It will emit a subtle smell, sort of savory and sweet like the cure. If it smells rancid or rotten, take it down and trash it. When the pancetta is completely firm but pliable like leather, it’s ready.
Cut down pancetta and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Store it in refrigerator 2-3 weeks, or in freezer up to 4 months.
