A Quick Guide to Your Costco Pork Belly Options {Sous Vide, Whole and Sliced}

Costco is the only store in town that sells pork belly which blows my mind considering how many people want to buy this cut.  What is even better is that my local Costco always has at least two, and sometimes three, types of pork belly for sale.

Keep reading and we will cover:

• Three Types of Costco Pork Belly
• Pork Belly Recipe Ideas

Let’s get started!

Whole Pork Bellies

The first type of pork belly that my local Costco always carries are whole bellies with the skin off.

A whole belly typically weighs about ten pounds and is priced around $4.50 per pound. This means the whole belly will typically cost anywhere from $40-$50.

What to Do with a Whole Pork Belly?

My favorite way to use a whole belly is to make homemade bacon.  All you need to do is rub it down with some Morton TenderQuick, black pepper and brown sugar and let it cure in you refrigerator for a week.

After the belly has cured you can cook it at 200F in your oven or smoker until it reaches an internal temperature of 150F.  Let the belly cool in the refrigerator and you will have a giant slab of homemade bacon that you can cut into slices or use for lardons.

I have seen other people cut the belly into smaller servings and then either roast or smoke.  The pork is great when sliced for sliders or used to fancy up bowls of ramen.

The main thing to know about this belly is that the skin is OFF so you can’t use this cut to make a crispy roast pork belly.

Sliced Pork Belly

If a full pork belly is too much for you to deal with then Costco also sells a smaller package of sliced pork belly.

These packages typically weigh about 5 pound with aa price of $5 per pound.   The full package will typically end up costing you around $25.

I really like the packages of sliced belly because you get to look at the meat to fat ratio of the slices and pick the package that is just right for you.

What to do with Pork Belly Slices?

The belly slices at Costco are about an inch thick and lend themselves to a variety of dishes.  Most of the recipes I have seen for this type of belly use it for Asian style dishes (Braised Pork Belly) and for an American barbecue classic, Pork Belly Burnt Ends.

Kirkland Signature Sous Vide Pork Belly

Last up is the Kirkland Signature Sous Vide Pork Belly.  My store doesn’t always carry this product but when they do it is in the refrigerated section near the meat counter.

The Sous Vide pork belly comes in two separate one pound packages of sliced meat and is fully cooked.  The belly has been seasoned, smoked and gently cooked by sous vide to a food safe temperature.  There are usually about five slices of belly per pound.

Despite the fact that the belly is fully cooked you do not want to eat it straight from the package.

Straight out of the package the slices of belly are cold, fatty and unappetizing.

To prepare the slices for eating you can heat them up in a variety of ways.  The packaging suggesting the following heating methods:

• Pan Fry: Place slices in a single layer into a skillet over Medium Heat.  Sear on both side for a couple of minutes.
• Oven Roasted: Place slices in a single layer on a cookie sheet.  Place sheet into a 425F oven for 10-15 minutes.
• Grill: Place slices onto a grill set to Medium High Heat.  Grill the slices for 2-3 minutes per side.

The heated slices are great to add to ramen or mac n cheese, make sliders or serve just about any way that makes you happy!