Help please ( pic )

[Lemonhead78]

I want to make pork belly burnt ends. I asked butcher at sams club and he said they do not carry them anymore because they weren't selling. I found this at restaurant depot and I'm not sure if it's a pork belly. So I have 2 questions if you can help

1. Is this a pork belly ?
2. It says frozen on the label and its definitely not frozen. I wanted to cook Half and freeze the other half ( it's huge ). will it be nasty if it was indeed frozen at one point and I'll be freezing it again.
3. Just thought I'd mention there's no expiration date on it. It looked like it was on their with black marker and it is smudged off.

The no date upsets me because I New a cold cut delivery guy ( my best friend ) who would deliberately smudge the exp date so he could still sell it to the delis.
             Thanks my bbq brothers. Here's the pics


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[HighOnSmoke]

It definitely looks like a pork belly to me. I haven't shopped Rest Depot, but what I have read some of them use the Julian date for their pack and use by dates. If that is the case with this one, and I am only guessing, 88 would be March 29th and the 109 P would be April 19th which may be the use by date.

If you have already bought it the only way to really tell is open it up and use your nose. If it smells rancid, toss it.

I have refrozen previously frozen meat before without any problems. The problem I see here is that it says frozen and you are saying it is not. So to me that tells me that it was probably left out of a cooler and it thawed. Again I could be wrong on all of this, but if you haven't bought it, then don't.

[Lemonhead78]

Thanks for the date information I didn't know that. Do I just google the code to come up with that or some kind of chart ? I do see the word bellie on the label now lol. I'm a retard . Label says frozen but it was stored in a refrigeratored section.

[GusRobin]

I have always maintained that there is nothing wrong with re-freezing meat as long as it was defrosted and kept refrigerated at below 40*.
The restaurant depot near me does not keep its larger cuts of meat in the freezer but in a large refrigerated room that is below 40* (at least is feels like since you freeze your a-- off if you don't wear a coat.) So my assumption is that is was initially frozen and then defrosted while in the refrigerated room. Long story short, I wouldn't have a concern refreezing it.

[Agustine]

Looks more like a rib section of the pork belly to me but hard to say from the photos. I say this just from the way the meat and fat in the one pic looks like a rib section. Nothing wrong with it if it is, just not a true pork belly for bacon 

[Lemonhead78]

Ahh man. Not a true pork belly

[Lemonhead78]

Ahh man. Not a true pork belly

I wanted a true pork belly for this



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[teesquare]

I would use it...For your intended purpose - I don't believe you will see or taste any difference.

[smokeasaurus]

I have always maintained that there is nothing wrong with re-freezing meat as long as it was defrosted and kept refrigerated at below 40*.
The restaurant depot near me does not keep its larger cuts of meat in the freezer but in a large refrigerated room that is below 40* (at least is feels like since you freeze your a-- off if you don't wear a coat.) So my assumption is that is was initially frozen and then defrosted while in the refrigerated room. Long story short, I wouldn't have a concern refreezing it.

exactly.....the danger zone for cooked meat is 40-140 degrees, even though we cook out all the bacteria, a whole new set evolves for cooked meat while standing.

[Roget]

I would use it...For your intended purpose - I don't believe you will see or taste any difference.

X 2. Looks like a belly to me.

[Lemonhead78]

It's indeed a belly. I'm cooking now. I'm cooking it on the pit barrel if anyone wants to see the cook I'm gonna put it on that forum/thread. Thanks guys

[TentHunteR]

It's indeed a belly.

Yep, that's a pork belly (same as what's used for bacon).  It's just not trimmed all nice and straight like we often see them!


It can be confusing because the term "pork belly" is somewhat of a misnomer.  Not all butchers call them pork bellies;  some call it "side meat", which is really a more accurate description.  Pork bellies actually come from the outer SIDES off of the lower rib section (spareribs), extending back to the belly area (hence the name).   Most of the time they've had the spareribs, and other meat trimmed off, but you can find whole sides.

I was going to post earlier, but since I was heading to the butcher anyway, I waited so I could snap a pic while there:

My butcher sells them both trimmed, or bone-in, as "Fresh Side Meat".  The Bone-In is the full side with spareribs still attached.

Hope this helps, and can't wait to see it cooked on your PBC!

Cliff

[Pappymn]

I have always felt Restaurant Depot goes out of their way to confuse people with their meat labeling. Like you need a PhD in butchery.


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[Lemonhead78]

Thanks for the good info cliff. And yes a lot of the labels at rd are hard to understand. On a side note I burned my pork bellie. I was watching a guy on YouTube. He cubed it and cooked on the pit barrel cooker for 3 hours , than braised it covered with foil for another 2 and than sauced them for 10 mins or so. I made the mistake of not using my own judgement. Half of my meal was toast