Pig Candy – A Sidekick recipe
Pork belly is a meat that a lot of Ketonians use as a staple ingredient. Really, this is just the underbelly of the pig, the bacon cut. Sure, it tastes really good as regular old bacon, but we can help you to take this incredible cut of meat and turn it into something so good, it’s just like candy. Pig Candy, that is.
This is a very simple dish and if done properly, it is the most decadent protein combined with a wonderful bang of flavour from seasoning and fat content. Make sure you use a deep pan while roasting these to catch all the drippings; you’ll want to save it as a free source of fat to keep next to your stove. (Thank me later)
This recipe is downright delicious when it’s warm, chewy, crispy and straight from the oven/grill, but our favourite is the leftover bits that we store in the fridge in a zip lock bag. Cold crunchy pig candy! Make sure to save yourself some to try this way!
This is another of these low and slow cooks that will be well worth the wait.
- Prep Time15 min
Ingredients
For the Pig Candy
- 2 lb pork belly, cut into 1” square pieces , with full thickness of the belly
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup Smokin’ BBQ Sauce (in book #1 and on the website)
- **To the sauce add;
- 1 Tbsp confectioners sweetener
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp Korean Chili
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp parsley
Directions
Preheat oven to 250
Season all over with salt and pepper. Don’t skimp on the salt here. Seasoning ahead of time with salt helps the meat to retain moisture as its cooking.
Place the pork pieces on a grate or rack, making sure to keep spaces between each piece of meat. We want these to crisp up all over and overcrowding the pan will keep this from happening.
Place the racks on a foil lined sheet tray to catch drippings.
Space them out!
Roast for 2 hours, depending on the thickness of the meat. The pieces of pork should starting to reduce in size and beginning to crisp.
Remove from the oven at the 2 hours mark and turn the pieces over, spritz with apple cider vinegar, return to the oven for another two hours
After the2 hour, drain the fat from the sheet pan and remove the meat from racks, spritz with apple cider vinegar, then place the pieces directly in the sheet tray. Pieces should be crispy on the outside with most of the fat rendered. **Place back in the oven if it needs more time, all ovens are different**
Sauced
Add the BBQ sauce and toss to coat on all sides
Return to the oven for another hour and a half to 2 hours. Saucing and tossing again half way point.
Continue cooking until the sauce has caramelized on the pork.
Remove from the oven and enjoy
Save the drippings to use as a free (no cost) fat source. Keep it next to your stove
Alternate Techniques-
For the smoker, use a slightly lower temperature of 225 and smoke for 6-7 hours. Spritz every hour with Apple Cider vinegar. (This helps to keep the meat tender)
For the Grill, use your BBQ as an oven! Turn on one burner and close your lid! Wait for the temperature to stabilize and then regulate the temperature by lowering or raising your burner to the desired temp. When you find that sweet spot, place your meat in the BBQ ** On the opposite side from the lit burner (indirect heat) and close the grill. Your BBQ is now an oven!
Nutrition & Macro Information
- Amount per serving
- Calories0
- % Daily Value*
Hi . . we made pig candy for the first time this weekend, and are wondering if it’s ok to freeze it? It’s delicious, by the way, as promised.
Best regards,
Mary
Yes! Every week we cook up a full pork belly as pig candy..and freeze half our cooked batch in a large freezer bag. Remove as much air from the bag as possible before freezing.