Ingredients

• To make 2.5 pounds of salt fatback, you need: 10 1/2 ounces sea salt, 1 1/3 cup of firmly packed brown sugar, 8 crushed juniper berries, 2 teaspoons of crushed black peppercorns, 2 freshly torn bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon quatre épices and 2 1/2 pounds boneless pork belly with skin. Quatre épices is a French spice but if you cannot get hold of it, use all-spice or cinnamon instead. Alternatively, leave it out of the recipe. You also need a large dish or pan in which to marinade the pork belly, a dish to mix the marinade, a cheesecloth and a wooden spoon.
  
  

Recipe

• Mix together all the ingredients except for the pork belly in a small bowl. Use the back of a wooden spoon to mash them together. Rub the surface of the pork belly with 2/3 of the mixture. Then, sprinkle a thin layer across the base of the large dish. Press the salty mixture into the whole surface area of the pork belly again to make sure it is properly covered. Leave it in the dish in the fridge. Put the remaining 1/3 of salt mixture aside.
  
  

Leave the Pork Belly

• Leave the pork belly in the fridge for 2 days, then remove it and drain off any liquid that has been drawn from the flesh. Rub the remaining 1/3 of the salt mixture into the pork belly and return it to the fridge. Allow it to rest for another 2 days. After this time, wash the pork belly to get rid of the salt, then pat it dry with paper towels. Wrap it in a cheesecloth and put it back in the fridge for 2 weeks.
  
  

Use of Salt Fatback

• You can add salt fatback to chowder or Boston-style baked beans. It adds a salty and meaty flavor to enrich a dish. You can also use it as a substitute to pancetta. Alternatively, you can slice it thinly and fry in the same way you cook bacon. Add it to a English breakfast fry-up or egg sandwich. If you find the salt fatback is too salty, soak it in cold water for a few hours to remove some of the salt or blanch it in hot water for a few minutes instead.