Pork Belly -- Where to buy and at what price?

[donmiller]

I've been looking for a good source of pork belly in the Atlanta area. I've got family and friends that rave about my peach-smoked bacon, and I want to put a massive stock of it in the freezer for the holidays to give away.

About a year ago, I was finding it at a grocery store for $2.99/lb. About 3 months ago, I bought a belly at the same place for $3.99/lb. These were all 10 or 11 lb bellies.

Well, now -- same source -- I bought two 7.5 lb bellies for $5.99/lb.

I tried Restaurant Depot, since I've seen them mentioned here previously as being a PB supplier. No dice. The store in East Cobb and the big store in NW Atlanta say they do not have it.

OK, I know pork prices are going crazy, but I figured I should be able to get some sort of deal on a case price. I called one of the few real butchers I have found near me and he called me back after contacting his purveyor. He quoted $5.99/lb. This makes no sense to me since I can buy one-zies of them elsewhere for the same price and not fill my freezer with raw meat.

Does anybody know where I can get a good price on a case? I am just north of Atlanta, but for the right deal I can drive a couple hours and ice things down on the way home...

 

[CopyNPaste]

Have you tried Costco?

 

[daninnewjersey]

I got mine at a local Asian market....maybe try one of them?

 

[Islandchanel]

Would you care to share the recipe?

 

[donmiller]

C&P: I don't have a membership because Sam's has always been more convenient for me. If they have the goods though, this could put me over the edge towards getting a membership.

Dan: I have heard that the Asian markets might have them. I will have a look next weekend. Gotta wait for the weekend since they are on the other side of town.

Island: No problem. I'll post later when I get home and get the exact ratios -- that is important with curing. The recipe is very uncomplicated if you've cured before.

 

[donmiller]

Recipe

Island: paying up...

For a 10lb belly (scale this by weight), prepare a cure mixture of:

10g pink salt (instacure #1)
66g salt
33g sugar
125g brown sugar

Mix well.

Set aside a container with 1/4 cup of molasses.

Put the belly in your curing bag skin side down. Apply the cure mixture fairly evenly to the topside, then pour the molasses over top. The molasses just gets swirled around the top -- do not worry if it is not particularly evenly spread.

Squeeze the excess air out of the bag and seal. I the bag is oversized fold the top over to create a package the size of the belly. Put this in your refrigerator.

Each day for 7 days:

Take the bag out of the refrigerator and turn it every which way so all of the edges of the belly are "wetted" by the brine. Put it back in the fridge flipped with the opposite side up this time.

On the last day, take the belly out of the bag and wash it with water. If you do not wash everything off, it will end up too salty. I've not needed to "soak" my bacon. Washing seems to be enough for me.

Pat dry with paper towels.

I put it in the refrigerator on a rack for an hour or two at this point.

Pre-smoke, I take just a tiny bit of brown sugar (1 or 2 tablespoons for a 10lb belly) and gently drop it on top of the belly trying to be as uniform as I can. Then I go over the whole top with maybe twice that much fresh ground pepper.

I dump maybe 1/2 a chimney of coals into my XL BGE and throw in some peachwood chunks. I get that thing smoking and put the belly in the smoker --cold-- the smoker is cold. I do not let it warm up before putting in the belly.

I let the BGE come up very gradually to 200F and leave it there until the belly is 150F at the core.

After it comes off the smoker, if it has skin I trim it while things are still warm. It is much easier to do it then.

Once things cool a bit, I wrap the bacon in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator overnight. It needs to be COLD to slice.


The next day, I pull out the slicer and slice it, relatively thick.

 

[Lis]

Have you tried the Dekalb Farmers Market? I don't get a case but pick up 2 or 3 when I do go. Hope this helps!

 

[Doug Crann]

Best price I have seen local, if you don't mind playing with the rind is Cash & Carry. Local Costco started carrying it a while back, it is a bit more $$ than C & C and about half the weight...but it ain't frozen neither...

 

[Rustwood]

FWIW, I just bought some at a local meat market and it was either $3.69 or $3.79 lb. It was frozen though. Another place had it but they would only sell a whole belly (~15 lbs).

 

[trucky9754]

I got mine at Costco for $2.19 lb.

 

[CakeM1x]

Costco: $2.19-$2.59

 

[Islandchanel]

Thank you. It sounds delicious

 

[nmeyer414]

I thought I would share my take on donmillers recipe

 

[Seefyre]

Around here it's "the butcher" $3-$4 lb

Costco just started carrying them at $2.69

Restaurant Depot around $2.29

 

[nmeyer414]

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3396567#post3396567