Pork Belly NukazukePickle 5 Days in the Fridge, Then Cook Through

Pork belly nukazuke is seriously delicious. The sweetness of the meat and fat goes perfectly with the saltiness of the bran, and every bite is juicy and full of flavor. The meat also turns tender in the bran.

Because it’s raw meat, don’t put it straight into your main bed. Take out some bran, wrap the pork in it with plastic wrap and a zip-top bag, pickle it in the fridge, and cook it all the way through before eating.

Prep	Cover a slab of pork belly with bran and seal in plastic wrap and a bag
Pickling time	About 5 days in the fridge (coldest part)
To eat	Wipe off the bran, slice and cook through

Food safety

• Never put raw meat in your main bed: Meat juices and bacteria can spoil the bed. Take out the bran you need into a clean container, and throw it away afterwards.
• Always pickle in the fridge: At room temperature it will spoil. The coldest part of the fridge, such as a chiller drawer, is best.
• Use fresh meat: Choose meat well within its use-by date, and pickle it the day you buy it.
• Cook it through: Pork must not be eaten raw or undercooked. Cook until there’s no pink in the center and the juices run clear. A food thermometer should read at least 63°C (145°F), then let it rest for 3 minutes.

How to make pork belly nukazuke

1. Take out some bran: Take enough bran out of your bed to cover the meat.
2. Cover with bran: Spread bran on a sheet of plastic wrap, put the pork on top, and cover it completely with bran.
3. Seal: Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then put it in a zip-top bag and press out the air.
4. Pickle in the fridge: Leave it in the coldest part of the fridge for about 5 days.
5. Wipe off the bran: Wipe the bran off by hand. Bran burns easily, so wipe it off thoroughly with paper towels.
6. Slice and cook: Slice about 1 cm (⅜ in) thick and pan-fry.

How to cook it through

Bran burns easily, so cook it slowly over medium-low heat.

1. Lay the slices in a frying pan and cook over medium-low heat for 2–3 minutes, until browned on one side.
2. Turn them over, cover, and cook for another 2–3 minutes.
3. Cut into the thickest piece and check that it’s cooked through, with no pink. If there is pink, cook a little longer.

From bed to plate

Cook over low heat so the bran doesn’t burn.

How to eat it

• As is: The saltiness of the bran is all the seasoning it needs.
• With vegetables: Wrap in lettuce or perilla leaves, or serve with thin shreds of green onion to balance the fat.

Salmon can be pickled the same way.