Finally saw some pork bellies at Costco!

[mummel]

I want to give one of these a shot.  Whats the best way to prepare them?  It looks like a ton of fat and a heat stopper.  I'm guessing I would need to free it once smoked and eat over time.  What do you guys do?

 

[SmokinAl]

Cure them & make bacon!

Al

 

[dirtsailor2003]

As Al mentioned you can cure and make bacon. Or you can braise the pork belly and eat it that way too.

 

[mummel]

What does the curing do vs smoking them directly or cooking them?

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Curing turns the pork into bacon. The curing process changes the flavor. Just cooking or smoking it is just smoked or cooked pork.

Crispy pork belly:

1 pound skinless pork belly
2 teaspoons fine salt
2 teaspoons sugar
a few grinds of black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Season pork belly with salt sugar and a few grinds of black pepper. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Roast pork belly for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 275°F and roast for an hour or more, until tender but not mushy. (Larger pieces of pork belly will take longer. Our one-pound belly was done after an hour at 275°F.)
Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate until chilled through - at least a few hours and up to 2 days.
Once chilled, slice into thick pieces and brown in a small amount of oil or warm in stock or water if you're making ramen or ??