Ad Hoc Pork Belly Confit

A while back I wrote about the fried chicken that took me two days to make.  It was a recipe from Thomas Keller’s Book “Ad Hoc at Home”.  Today I’m trying the pork belly confit.  Maybe I should correct myself.  I started this process yesterday and clearly should have started the day before that.  Here’s how it’s supposed to go…

• Make brine.  Let cool to room temperature and then chill.
• Brine pork belly in the fridge for 10 hours.
• Cook pork belly in lard for 5 1/2 – 6 hours.
• Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.
• Press pork belly with a heavy weight in the fridge for 12 hours.
• To serve, let warm at room temp for 2-3 hours.
• Slice or cut into serving size pieces and let sit at room temp for 20-30 minutes.
• Brown in a skillet for about 18 minutes.
• Cook in the oven for another 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle with sea salt and serve.

Holy crap!  What was I thinking when I started this mess?  How will I ever actually eat it?  I got up at 8:00 this morning to put it and the lard in a covered pot, baking at 200 degrees for the next six hours.  Then what?  If it actually cools after cooking before 4:00, it will still be 4:00 in the morning before its finished being “pressed”.  So, let’s say I let it press until I get home from work tomorrow.  I’ve still got 3-4 hours worth of preparation before I can actually eat the stuff.  I usually go to bed about 10:00 at night, not sear pork belly.  Maybe I can get Hub to come home from work and take it out of the fridge some time tomorrow afternoon…

Am I stupid or what?