What French Cut Of Meat Should I Use For The Slow Roast Pork Belly?

Our answer

Nigella's Slow Roast Pork Belly (from KITCHEN) cooks a skin-on pork belly in a low oven until the fat has rendered and the skin has transformed into crisp crackling. The meat part is marinated in tahini and soy sauce for extra flavour.

In France, although poitrine usually translates as "breast", it is actually the belly cut of pork. You may see in the supermarket that (steaky) bacon is also sold as "poitrine", as this comes from the belly. When you buy the belly/poitrine, there are also a couple of other things to be aware of. One is that it should be boneless ("sans os") for this recipe, as frequently it is sold on the bone. Also, you want it with the skin on ("avec la couenne"). Finally, pork belly may also be sold smoked or salted (the salting here is different to bacon), so make sure that it is "nature".