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The next day, pull the pork shoulder out of the brine, rinse it under cold running water, and pat it dry with paper towels. Discard the brine.

Adjust the oven rack to the lower position and preheat the oven to 300°F.

Put the pork in a large baking dish (a Dutch oven works great) and add enough oil to cover the meat by 1 inch. Place a heavy plate on top of the meat to keep it submerged. Put the dish in the oven and cook for 3 ½ to 4 hours, until the pork is fork-tender.

Remove the dish from the oven and let the pork cool to room temperature in the oil. Then refrigerate the whole pot (yes, pork and oil) overnight. (Once it has chilled overnight, the pork confit is ready to be used however you like.)

Photographs by Sara Remington

FOR CHUCK’S BARBECUE SAUCE:

2 tablespoons rice bran oil or canola oil

1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped

1 yellow onion, roughly chopped

1 red onion, roughly chopped

6 garlic cloves

½ cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup (packed) light or dark brown sugar

½ cup Worcestershire sauce

2 cups tomato sauce

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley

The next day, start by making the barbecue sauce: Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat, and drizzle the oil into it. Add the bell peppers and onions and cook until they’re very tender and the onions are starting to caramelize, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, and mustard, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, until the sauce is as thick as ketchup. Purée the sauce in a food processor or blender until smooth. Strain it into a serving bowl, and season it with salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat your grill 30 minutes in advance, burning the wood down until you have a red-hot coal base. (See backmatter for preparing a wood-fired grill.)

Take the meat out of the oil, wipe off the oil, and slice the meat into 1-inch-thick pieces. Sprinkle black pepper and parsley on each piece before grilling. Put the slices of pork confit on the grill. When the exterior starts to get brown and crisp, flip the slices over and cook until the meat crisps up on the other side. Serve immediately, with Chuck’s barbecue sauce alongside.

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Pork Belly Pizza with Barbecue Sauce and Sweet Corn

This pizza combines three of our favorite things: cured pork belly, Chuck’s barbecue sauce, and sweet corn. It takes a while to cure a pork belly (five days in the refrigerator!), but when it’s done, damn, is it good.

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INGREDIENTS

FOR THE PORK BELLY:

2 cups kosher salt

½ cup (firmly packed) light brown sugar

1 pound pork belly, skin removed

Makes 2 pizzas; serves 4 to 6

Five days ahead, cure the pork belly: Mix the salt and brown sugar together in a bowl. Spread half of the mixture in a container that’s large enough to hold the pork belly, lay the pork belly on top, and cover it with the remaining mixture. Place a piece of plastic wrap over it, and weight it down with a heavy plate to keep pressure on the belly. Refrigerate for 5 days. To ensure that it will cure evenly, flip the belly over once a day and cover it again with the curing mixture, remembering to weight it down with the heavy plate.

At the end of the fifth day, 1 hour before you are ready to bake the pizzas, adjust the oven rack to the middle position, place a baking stone on it, and preheat the oven to 450°F.

While the baking stone is heating, remove the pork belly from the cure, rinse it under cold running water, and pat it dry with paper towels. Set it aside to come to room temperature.

Meanwhile, fill a medium bowl halfway with water and put about 2 dozen ice cubes in it; set it aside. Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and cook the corn until it is tender, about 2 minutes. Immediately strain the corn through a colander, place the colander in the ice water, and let the corn cool for 2 minutes (the ice water will stop the corn