vanessab Food Journal

I adore pork, I always have...that's not surprising since I grew up on my family's pig farm. My chores included clearing the clogged feeders in the pig lot and checking the water troughs. I also spent hours in the farrowing shed, me and my dog sitting as close as possible to the sows and their wriggly pink piglets. Inevitably the piglets grew up and left the farrowing shed for the feed lot. There they rooted about in the mud, chased one another, slept in piggy piles, and generally enjoyed being a pig. Once they reached a certain size we loaded them into a trailer and hauled them to the sale barn. You might think that would sadden a twelve year-old girl, but it didn’t. The arc of a pig’s life naturally began in the farrowing house and ended at the sale barn or butcher. It was a truth, just like the sun rising in the east each morning.

The slaughter of a pig is also part of that truth. I’ve not witnessed a slaughter at the butcher or at a meat packing facility but I have participated in a farm slaughter. Pigs are smart, so yes, they do try to evade being caught, and they do scream, there is blood, a lot of it. Then there is a lot of hard work that must be done very quickly. I’ve read several first-person accounts of farm slaughter. Often these accounts are tinged with the sturm und drang of emotional distress, edged with guilt, questioning the right to take an animal’s life and the need to eat meat.

Questioning is productive, guilt, not so much...unless it provokes change. Eating an animal subjected to a miserable, disrespectful life and death is good reason for guilt. Instead, be an agent of change, purchase meat from a producer that provides his animals with a decent, respectful life and slaughter. If you eat meat I urge you to follow these guidelines:

Purchase meat from local producers, visit their farm and see how their animals are raised

Buy meat certified by the Animal Welfare Institute

Pay a fair price for the product

Purchase pasture-fed products, animals meant to graze should be grazing

If you can’t source your meat locally, eliminate as much of the mass produced meat as possible
Waste as little as possible...nose to tail eating shows respect for the animal

Nose to tail eating naturally includes this succulent braised pork belly. I sourced this belly from Eric and Carrie Johnson at Jordandal Farm. Pork belly is usually made into bacon, food the gods, but when rubbed, brined, and braised it becomes absolutely sublime. This certainly isn't something to eat often, but as a special treat it is exceptional. The flavor of the pork is smoothly piggy, tender, and moist beyond belief.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe and a list of my favorite pork books visit What geeks eat...

Rubbing the belly – day one

1 tablespoon coriander seed
1 tablespoon fennel seed
½ teaspoon cumin seed
1 clove
1 allspice
1 teaspoon pepper corns

Coarsely grind these spices and toast them in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Trim the fat down to about ¾ inch on the outer layer, if necessary. Score the belly. Rub the spices all over the belly. Let it sit overnight in the refrigerator.

Brining the belly – day two
2 quarts water
1 ½ cups kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 bay leaves
2 quarts ice cold water
1 large ziploc bag

Heat 2 quarts of water over medium high heat. Add the sugar, salt, and bay leaves. Stir and heat until the sugar and salt dissolves. Add the remaining 2 quarts of water. Place the rubbed belly into the ziploc, add the brine, seal it and let it rest in the refrigerator.

Braising the belly – day three
6 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 cup white wine
3 cups chicken stock or water

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Remove the belly from the refrigerator, pat it dry, and allow it to come to room temperature. Heat a large, heavy dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the belly on both sides. Add the chopped veg, the wine, and the stock or water. Bring the heat up on this and then cover with a lid and cook in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the pork is incredibly tender.

Remove from the oven, take the pork, move it to another pan, and keep it covered. Remove the visible fat from the remaining pan juices by either skimming it off or pouring it through cheesecloth. Return the juices to the pan, add wine and water or stock if necessary and reduce over medium-high until the consistency meets your needs. Taste for seasoning. Serve the belly portions in a shallow bowl with the pan juices.