Pickled Pork Belly and Tongue with Lentils

Rose lentils from the Berry.

Both pork tongue and belly are widely available and inexpensive in France. Pork tongue makes an excellent substitute for beef tongue if you want something smaller and cheaper. We both like tongue, especially as a luncheon meat, so I would normally choose to cure them in brine or pickle this cut.

Pickling liquor for pork.

 

Ingredients

A pork tongue

A large piece of pork belly

2.5 litres water

250 g light brown sugar

750 g coarse salt

1 tsp black peppercorns

1/2 tsp juniper berries

2 cardamom pods

4 bay leaves

A sprig of thyme

2 carrots, scrubbed and cut into chunks

2 leeks, cleaned and cut into chunks

500 g green, brown or black lentils

 

Method

1. Mix the water, brown sugar, salt, half the peppercorns, juniper, cardamom, 2 bay leaves and thyme in a large pot and boil for a couple of minutes, then leave to cool completely.
2. Put the meats in a large plastic box and pour over the cold pickling liquor.
3. Put a lid on the box and put it in the fridge for a week, turning the meats daily.
4. At the end of a week drain the liquor off and discard it. The meats will be stiff, from the action of the briny pickling liquor.
5. Rinse the meats then soak over night in fresh water. If you don't do this it will be too salty to eat.
6. Put the meats in a stockpot with the carrots, leeks, half the peppercorns and 2 bay leaves.
7. Cover with water and simmer for 2 - 3 hours.
8. Peel the tongue while it is still warm, slice and keep warm.
9. Cut the pork belly into thick slices and keep warm.
10. Simmer the lentils in the flavourful pork cooking stock for 20 - 30 minutes.
11. Serve either of the meats with the drained lentils and vegetables.

The pickled meat soaking in fresh water overnight.

The tongue can also be served cold with salad or in sandwiches. 

Pickled pork belly and tongue with chunks of carrot and leek, ready to cook.

Yum

 

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