When it comes to making pork belly bacon for yourself, the hardest thing is to find a pork belly shop. Many of us wasted our hours searching pork belly, and how many are successful? Let me guess, 20% of buyers found the right place to buy pork belly to make delicious bacon for themselves and their families.

Pork belly is one of those mega items that you see when you’re perusing a menu, and it almost makes your “what should I have later this evening?” choice for you.

But there are several methods to prepare pork; this is one of the most adaptable. Even if you’re a seasoned pork fan, you may be surprised at how much you don’t know about this specific cut of meat. Let’s dissect it.

No worries, we can conveniently pass our knowledge to you to buy pork belly. Please keep reading to know more about pork belly.

What exactly is pork belly?

A pork belly is a heavy, boneless piece of meat derived from the pig’s abdomen. When left whole, the cut resembles a brick of flesh, with a layer of flatness extending along the top and thinner layers of fat interspersed underneath.

What is its most well-known function? Bacon! When pork belly cutq1 from its fatty outermost surface before being barbecued, salted, and thin slices, it becomes everybody’s favorite sizzling morning meal.

Where To Buy Pork Belly

Porter Road

Porter Road is situated in Nashville and exclusively purchases livestock from Tennessee and Kentucky farms. These are tiny farmers that humanely care for their livestock. Porter Road sells pork bellies from pigs raised on a meadow rather than contained in a metal box.

It is a decision between local farmers growing animals outside in the sun and giant businesses and horrible industrial farms. I’m not sure how much delivery to your place will cost, but delivering to Baton Rouge only costs $5.

Porter Road offers unpasteurized belly in the 3-pound dumbbells that are not skinned. Porter Road works with several small farms that it is impossible to know which type of pig the meat will originate from.

Heritage Foods

Heritage Foods is comparable to Porter Road, but on a bigger scale and with a broader aim. Heritage Foods is committed to opposing the industrial meat factory farm sector and saving as many heritage varieties of animals as feasible from elimination.

In addition to being a fantastic business with a tremendous aim, Heritage Farms has the most excellent assortment of pork belly. You may obtain a stomach from a heritage hog breed (Berkshire or Red Wattle) in various sizes from 6 to 14 pounds, with or without the skin.

Snake River Farms

The only drawback of purchasing from Porter Road is that it is a tiny business that has been notorious for running out of specialty cuts. Snake River Farms is yet another supplier of bellies if Porter Road is out of supply.

Snake River Farms’ bellies are sourced from a premium breed of pig (Berkshire), likewise farmed on small family farms. Berkshire pigs are famous for having more fat and taste than the bland retail pork produced by most industrial farms.
These bellies are uncooked pork, desiccated, and weigh 5-6 pounds.

Meat N Bone

Meat n Bones is a small butcher business in Miami, Florida, selling online.

Their pork originates from farms in the Midwestern, and the belly is offered in 4-6 pound chunks for about $10 per pound. You will have to pay for postage, but you will get a free shipment if you purchase enough (according to your delivery zone).

If you’re stuck for what else to put in your order to qualify for free delivery, try adding a newborn pig or an acorn-fed, vertebrae Iberico bacon.

Costco

Whole and chopped bellies are available at local Costco, which is handy. I can purchase a full stomach if I want to create a slab of handmade bacon. I’ll buy the sliced belly if I make a few pork belly burned ends.

The fact that I can check the packages and ensure that I am receiving lots of meat and not just a mound of fat is a significant advantage of purchasing the sliced belly from Costco.

The major disadvantage of buying from Costco is that you are working with meat products from pigs that most likely did not have a good existence.

Amazon

The remarkable thing is that the bellies were Spanish and made of Iberico pork. Iberico pork is made from Pata Negra pigs kept on an acorn-based diet in the woods.

Pata Negra hog flesh is usually more nuanced and luscious than regular commercial pork. The flesh is described as Rosey and nearly beeflike in taste. These pigs are a step higher than Snake River Farms’ Berkshire hogs.

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Farm Foods

Farm Foods is a non-profit that assists small farms and ranches sell ethically grown meat to a marketplace. They offer responsibly grown beef, pig, chicken, elk, lamb, bison, and duck.

Farm Food sells little bellies weighing 1-2 pounds. The guts are from Berkshire’s historical breeds, and I feel the flesh on these chops is loose.

Things To Consider

Before you pick where to buy pork belly, there are a few things you should think about before making a purchase. Purchasing pig belly is usually the first step in producing your bacon at the house for most individuals.
It’ll be less expensive, somewhat healthy, and much more delicious than a retail location.

1. Origin

Examine the origins of the pigs. Are they raised sustainably, without the use of hormones or antimicrobials? Were they humanely grown on a pasture?

For instance, their Heritage Pork Belly is pasture-raised and devoid of antibiotics, hormones, and GMOs.

The origin of your pork belly contributes to the health advantages of bacon.

2. Meat consistency

Some hog breeds are reported to have distinct preferences. Berkshire, Duroc, and Kurobuta heritage breeds have richer and meatier tastes.

3. Price and size

Determine how much money you are prepared to spend. Homemade bacon is often less expensive per pound than retail location bacon.

Nevertheless, some establishments may ask you to purchase the whole pork belly, weighing between 10 and 12 pounds. Is there adequate freezer space in your house for that?

4. Individualization

Please choose how you’ll cure, burn, and chop it. One of the many benefits of creating your bacon is the ability to decide how it is processed, fried, and finally tasted.

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Frequently Asked Question

How does pork belly taste?

It is indeed salty, beefy, and satisfying. The pig belly has a vibrant taste when maintained intact because of the thick bit of fat that extends along the top. When it’s cured and smoky, it’s full of the seductive umami taste that renders bacon so appealing.

Where and how can you get pork belly?

It’s simpler to find pork belly than you would think! It is available in full slabs at your local butcher or grocery shop, as well as pre-sliced pancetta and bacon. Alternatively, purchase from some of our preferred internet meat sellers below.

What is the best way to prepare pork belly?

When cooked gradually, pork belly behaves well. Slowly breaking down the soft tissue in the flesh allows the fat to flow out and the meat to become fork-tender. To get the best possible results, slice the fat on the bottom with a dagger, season with salt and pepper or your favorite spice mix, then fry until very crispy.

Move the pork to a Dutch oven and saute for a few sessions (crunchy skin marked change) until the pork achieves an interior temperature in the range of 145 degrees and the flesh pulls away.

What is the best way to keep pork belly?

Fresh raw pork belly that has been firmly wrapped or kept in a sealed jar (such as a zip-top bag) may be refrigerated for three to five days or frozen for up to six months. Samples should be kept in a container in the fridge for up to two days in a sealed jar.

Outlook

Once you’ve located a reliable source for pork belly, you might never go back to retail location bacon again. The handmade version’s taste, consistency, and general performance are sufficient to warrant the initial expenses, much alone the time required.

We hope you found our post about where to get helpful pork belly. Begin by searching at your local shops and markets, and if that fails, shopping online is a viable choice.

When finalizing your purchase, consider examining the origin, the quality of meat, the pricing and quantity, as well as how you want to cook it. As a result, your bacon will be less expensive, cleaner, and presumably better than store-bought pork.