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J U N E / J U LY 2 0 1 9 M A C O N M A G A Z I N E . C O M | 8 5 BRAISED PORK BELLY This can go out as an appetizer, served with a blackberry jalapeno jelly, or it can be the main dish, served with greens. Try shredding it and using in some tacos or pastas. Chunks can be frozen and used later to make flavorful greens or black- eyed peas. 1/3 portion (about 4 pounds) pork belly Beautiful Briny Sea Magic Unicorn Salt Braising liquid (wine, apple juice, beer – even a mix of bourbon and water works well) Trim the skin off the pork belly, if necessary. Cut into 2-by-2-inch chunks and rub with Unicorn Salt. Let sit in a zip-top bag overnight. In the morning, take it out and allow it to reach room temperature. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees and put the pork into an oven-safe pot with lid. Cook for about 30-45 minutes, fat side up, then pull out and add the braising liquid. Pour in enough of the braising liquid to come halfway up the pieces. Drop oven temperature to 200 degrees and put pot back in. Cook for another 4-6 hours or more, as needed. Once able to seat only 18 customers, the new location accommodates 50 diners and offers home cooking, hot sandwiches and great burgers, Holland said. Now serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, Famous Mike's menu offers a generous helping of that most famous strip of pork. "Each menu item that features bacon offers an abundance of it," Holland said. Burgers named for e Allman Brothers Band members include the Dickey Betts – a blackened burger with bacon, grilled onions, mushrooms, blue cheese and Swiss cheese; the Duane – a double burger with bacon and cheese; and the Gregg – a single with bacon and cheese. At Village Marketplace on Ingleside Avenue, owner Brendan Rowley said it's difficult to keep bacon in stock. Maybe that's because the bacon he sells is from Rocking Chair Ranch, just to the north in Forsyth. "e bacon from RCR is definitely one of my best-selling products," Rowley said. "I try to keep it in stock at all times, but that's been a little difficult lately. People love the texture of the meat." Bacon from Rocking Chair Ranch is a little bit more firm than the typical "big farm product," Rowley explained. "You can look at each pack and see how meaty or how fatty it is, and go with your preference." Rocking Chair Ranch, known for its beef, doesn't raise the hogs from which its bacon is made; they get them from a like-minded farmer. Plans are under way, however, for Rocking Chair Ranch to begin processing hogs themselves in late 2019. Rowley even makes his own bacon and braised pork belly from fresh meat, and shared his recipes with us. No matter how you fry it, you can't deny it – bacon has moved beyond the breakfast table. No matter how you fry it, you can't deny it – bacon has moved beyond the breakfast table.