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I just got a hook up for a 13 lb slab of Mangalitsa pork belly, for just $5.50/lb, which seems an incredible price to me.

Any suggestions on what to do, besides the usual pancetta? Every picture I see of pork belly from Mangalitsa pigs it looks absolutely amazing. I can't wait to try this stuff!

There are a lot of nice Chinese recipes with fresh belly, Szechuan Twice Cooked Pork for instance: http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewtopic.php?t=7517

I've only done bacon and pancetta. Not much else you can do with it. All my results are posted on my blog.

Freeze for later use in sausages?

I don't think I'd "waste" it on sausage. Good belly like that could be cured for bacon or pancetta as already mentioned but I'd cut a few good sized cubes for braising or cooking sous vide.

I don't think I'd put any heat on any of it, other than smoking for bacon. I've cured quite a bit of it and have yet to eat any of it cooked. I'm not sure it was meant to be eaten fresh. Just my opinion.

JerBear wrote:I don't think I'd "waste" it on sausage. Good belly like that could be cured for bacon or pancetta as already mentioned but I'd cut a few good sized cubes for braising or cooking sous vide.

I agree. If I'm spending upwards of $80 on a slab of pork belly, I won't go grinding it. (My girlfriend coincidentally brought home a slab of non-Mangalitsa pork belly ... cost $20. Huge price difference!)

Sous vide is a good idea, then maybe throw it in a hot pan to sear it, but I think pancetta might be the way to go here. I'm totally fine with that, but I wanted to see if y'all had any ideas.

Big onion, go have a look at my blog posts about mangalitsa belly. These bellies are 3" thick and probably 80% fat. Not sure how well that would come out sous vide.

Ive never tried it but was told this was good.

http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/ap ... kbelly.htm

Sous vide (with some added flavorings like maybe a sprig of thyme and some peppercorns) would be like braising under compression. It'll be flabby until seared, you definately want some browning which is usually done a la minute.

Slices of fat belly are excellent as interlayers between leaner meat pieces (e.g. lamb, beef, chicken) on a shashlyk/kebab/skewer. Like this:

http://forum.sausagemaking.org/viewtopic.php?t=7731

I took a trip a trip across Lake Pontchartrain to pick up some belly. Not only did I end up with an 8 lb slab of belly that looks amazing, but the chef also has a stockpile of backfat that he's dying to get rid of, and sold it to me for $1/lb.

I've been eying up a couple of different lardo recipes. Anyone have a recommendation? I like the idea of bringing that Molinari uses, but Shaw's method of a dry cure and pressure seems interesting, too.

Scott's lardo is quite a bit better than mine. Ask him for info