Potted Pork with Mace and Mustard

 

2 pounds skin-on pork belly

kosher salt

black pepper

2 ounces pork fat

4 bay leaves

1 tsp. mace

1½ tsp. Colman’s mustard

 

Salt pork belly thoroughly and bring to room temperature. Cut pork into 2-inch-wide strips. In a cast-iron skillet, melt pork fat over a low flame. Add pork belly pieces to pan, keeping flame as low as possible. Tuck bay leaves among the pork pieces. Gently cook over low flame for 5 hours, turning occasionally to cook evenly on all sides. Pour off and reserve excess fat as needed, about once per hour. Do not allow meat to brown. Remove meat to a cutting board. When cool enough to handle, remove tough outer pork skins, leaving about ¼-inch of fat on each piece of skin. Preheat oven to 325°F. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse pork belly, mace, mustard and black pepper until smooth, adding reserved pork fat as needed to create a spreadable texture. Taste for seasoning. Rub strips of pork skin with salt and bake at 325°F for an hour, or until golden and crispy. Eat immediately. Spoon pork into clean jars or ramekins, leaving ¼ inch at the top and taking care to spread evenly, avoiding air pockets. Seal pork in containers with reserved fat and refrigerate at least 1 day to age, and up to 6 months.