Simple recipe for Fresh Pork Belly/Side roast.

Posted this on the T5R FB page but thought folks here might find it useful. Believe it or not when your are in the pork business and can eat 10 pounds of Bacon per day if you want..... Bacon gets old after awhile. I am guessing a lot more folks on here have a wood stove and a cast iron pot or dutch oven than those on my FB page and actually know how to use them





While I have enjoyed the last week or so of warm weather, I have missed cooking on the wood stove. A lot of cooking happens over and under that flat top. Perhaps one day I will show how I bake cookies and pizzas underneath the wood stove

I am posting this as so many folks over the years have said they don't have a clue what to do with a Belly or Side Roast (Different names but same thing) I have around 20 recipes we use with them regularly.

Today is just two 4 pound side/belly roast in the dutch oven. Fear not this works just as well in a roaster, crock pot or even a stew pot on the stove top or oven

For those whom have never had a fresh side or belly roast, think of it as a uncured bacon roast There are soooo many way to prepare one and while others might like eating high on the hog..... You will be hard pressed to find a richer, more naturally flavorful roast than a side/belly roast.

Today is a simple pot roast and everything but the lemon pepper and salt is produced right here on the T5R.

One 3-5 pound fresh side/belly roast.
A decent size roaster or pot.
1 gallon of water if using a roaster 1/2 gallon if using a crock pot
2 large onions
10-12 carrots
6 large red potatoes cut into 6 sections each
4 cloves crushed or shaved garlic
6-8 stalks celery
1 tbsp lemon pepper
1Tbsp Garlic salt
1tsp Crushed Cayenne Pepper (Optional)
4-5 fresh or dehydrated Chantrelle Mushrooms (Optional)

In a crock pot or Roaster just put everything in and cook on 300 in the oven for 2.5 hours. In a Crock put use medium for 4 hours and up to 8 hours.

In the pot and dutch oven it is a bit different. Cook the roast in the water by itself until it is done but not falling apart on a high heat.. Remove the roast and add in everything else and reduce the heat to a simmer. out the roast on top of everything else and forget about it for 4 hours. On a wood stove move to your cooler plate. On my stove the back plate is hot and the front plate runs about 200 degrees cooler somewhere in the 250-300 degree range, while the back plate runs 450-500 degrees..... Yes You can make it much higher I am guessing though that there just ain't a whole lot of folks that cook on a wood stove regularly now days, in a big cast iron dutch oven or pot. It can be cooked into a stew or taken off sooner for a slicing roast.

What you have when it is all said and done is one cut with a fork, very rich and satisfying meal. If you use the Cayenne pepper it will have a bit of kick to it, but on a cold winter night that ain't a all bad thing!

Enjoy your roast!

Mike

 

that looks soo good!

 

You know I have one about like that and it never occurred to me to use for the wood stove! I just have a high temp dial therm setting on the flat top. That is sort of kind of accurate. Just shot the temp with the hand held unit and back plate is running 533.2 and front plate is running 442.9 Heat exchanger is 653 Amazing what a difference a good heat reclaimer/exchanger makes on the stove pipe.

 

It must have been I set it out on the porch of the cabin to cool when I went to bed last night . When I went out this morning found it missing. (Sounds weird but I am living in the cabin and the wife in the old mobile home, no marital problems she just doesn't have to listen to my V 12 straight pipe snoring and I don't have to deal with her up and down all night ) But I found the cast Iron Pot in her kitchen Empty and Washed out with a Note in it "Thanks for the lunch today and lunches next week, I assumed you left it on the porch for me to take......" Ummmm Yes Dear I made that just for you LOL (Good Answer Mike Good ANswer!!!) And I hear that it was indeed very good, I wouldn't know it is all in her refrigerator at work 50 miles to the South.

 

Thunder rancher.
I had a surprise.
I bought some pork belly that looked like really thick (5/8") bacon. turns out to taste like pork chops. a little confused at first.
I assume that because it is not smoked and salted , that is the difference correct?