Pork Belly Confit in Olive Oil

3 to 4 pounds pork belly
10 grams black peppercorns (about 3 1/4 teaspoons)
3 grams ground cinnamon (about 1 teaspoon)
1 gram whole cloves (about 10)
1/2 gram whole allspice (about 6)
2 bay leaves
1 ounce salt (about 4 teaspoons)
5 sprigs thyme
3 cups dry white wine
3 to 4 cups olive oil

Toss with the following dry cure:
2 tbsp ground black pepper
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
3 bay leaves crumbled
10 sprigs fresh thyme
4 tbsp salt
1 tsp pink salt (I did not use this)

Cover the pork in white wine. Cover and refrigerate for 24-36 hours.

Remove pork from cure, pat the pieces dry, place in an ovenproof pot/ dutch oven and cover with rendered fat (duck/pork). I needed a 5lb vat of duck fat to entirely cover the pieces. Bring to a simmer on the stovetop, remove from heat, and then place in the oven, uncovered, and cook until the pork is fork tender, about 2-3 hours.


1. Use a sharp knife to peel the skin from the pork belly: Cut a corner free, then grab it firmly and pull away, cutting with the knife while keeping the sharp edge of the blade against the tough skin. When the skin has been removed, cut the pork belly into roughly 3-by-1-inch pieces.
2. In a spice grinder or coffee mill, grind the peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, bay leaves and salt to a powder. Sprinkle the mixture over the meat, add the thyme and mix well. Add the wine and mix again. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.
3. The next day, heat the oven to 250 degrees. Remove the pork pieces from the marinade and pat them dry with a paper towel. Place them in a Dutch oven in as close to an even level as possible. Cover completely with olive oil. Bring to a slow bubble on top of the stove over medium heat, then transfer to the oven and let it cook, uncovered, until the meat is quite tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
4. Remove from the oven and let the meat cool in the fat. When the meat is cool, transfer it to storage containers and pour the fat over top, seal tightly and refrigerate. The meat should be completely submerged. (The confit can be used immediately, but it's better if it's refrigerated for 24 hours.)
5. To cook, remove the meat from the container along with a little of the fat. Fry over medium-high heat, turning to brown all sides. When the meat is well browned and heated through, serve immediately.
Each of 20 servings: 605 calories; 7 grams protein; 0 carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 64 grams fat; 18 grams saturated fat; 57 mg. cholesterol; 0 sugar; 81 mg. sodium.
LA Times