Category: Pork

This one is still a work in progress for me but I’m getting there. I’m going to trust you to figure out the spice quantities on your own – what’s below are just guidelines. You can use dried herbs if that’s what you have. You want the pork belly and loin to be sized such that you can wrap the belly around the loin with little overlap. It may take some work w/ your butcher and some trimming to get this right – see pics on my site.

Ingredients

• 2-3 pounds boneless center-cut pork loin
• 5-6 pounds fresh skin on pork belly
• ¼ c Kosher salt
• ¼ c sugar
• 4-6 garlic cloves
• 3 T fennel seeds
• 1 bunch of sage leaves
• 2-3 sprigs of rosemary
• ½ t red pepper flakes
• 1 t ground black pepper
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Additional Kosher salt

Directions

• Butterfly (open like a book) the pork loin
• Using a very sharp knife, cut a checkerboard pattern into the skin of the pork belly, about 1/3 of an inch deep
• Make a brine w/ one quart of water, ¼ c salt, and ¼ c. sugar
• Brine loin and belly for at least 4-6 hours (or overnight)
• Make spice rub – puree/blend/grind/smash/etc. the rest of the ingredients (garlic-pepper) using enough olive oil to make a paste
• Spread paste on the cut side of the loin and the flesh side of the belly
• Place loin on top of the flesh side of the belly and, using both hands to keep things, you know, tight; roll up the swine flesh jellyroll style (again, see pics)
• Using butchers’ twine, tie the rolled-up meat log, spacing twine 1 inch or so apart. Tie ‘er tight to make a nice evenly shaped pig thing
• Drizzle with olive oil and more Kosher salt
• Put on a wire rack (spray it w/ cooking spray) set in a foil-lined (trust me, you’ll thank me for this) sheet or roasting pan
• If possible, set this in the fridge to marinate for a few hours
• Roast at 275 degrees for around 4 hours, rotating every hour. Low and slow is key here for even cooking and maximum pork juiciness
• Check the temp, you don’t want to overcook this. You’re going for 140 degrees
• If it starts to get too brown, tent it with foil
• Near the end of the cooking process, crank the temp up to 400 degrees or more to crisp the skin – you want it all GBD
• You can pull the roast out once it is to temp and then blast it right before serving to crisp the skin
• This should (it will be hard to wait…trust me) rest around 15-20 minutes before serving
• Remove twine
• Slice – use a serrated knife – into ½ inch slices and serve wit the sides of your choice – I like white beans and greens of some sort (recipe on my site)

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I love pork a lot – so much so that I have a pig tattooed on my right arm. I especially love grilled pork, the combination of charred and piggy flavors is amazing! For this recipe you’ll want thick, high-quality bone in pork chops (if you can find them). I used Berkshire chops that were about 1 inch thick. Berkshire pork is from a heritage breed of pig and is generally more flavorful and juicy (due to its higher fat content) than standard grocery store pork. You can find Berkshire pork at specialty butchers (support small retailers!).

Start this process an hour or two (minimum) before you’re going to cook the chops :

• Place the chops on a wire rack set on top of a sheet (or roasting) pan
• Sprinkle generously (both sides) with salt and pepper
• Right before cooking make a mixture of dijon mustard, honey, apple cider vinegar, and hot sauce. Exact proportions don’t matter much but, for four chops, I used about a tablespoon of each (less of the hot sauce)
• Meanwhile, heat a grill to high heat, clean it, and -when hot – spray with non-flammable non-stick cooking spray
• Grill the chops for 7-8 minutes total, flipping every 60 to 90 seconds.
• Watch them carefully as the honey can cause them to burn (oops, a couple of mine got a little crispy!)
• Cook until the chops reach 140 degrees in the center. Use your Super Fast Thermapen to check. Don’t overcook them, pork doesn’t need to be cooked to death!!!
• Enjoy!