Crispy pan-fried salt pork belly - Testing

https://www.almanac.com/recipe/fried-salt-pork

https://www.rotinrice.com/pan-fried-crispy-pork-belly/

1 - I have removed the salt from the recipe. It may be that the original recipes asked for fresh pork belly, but I use the Hertel's salt pork belly and, with the additional salt crust, it was unpleasantly salty. The texture, however, was lovely, and it came out quite tender with a lovely crispy outside.
2 - I made it without the extra salt, but also without blanching it to remove extra salt, just a good rinsing under cold water. It seemed to work fine. It makes for a bit of a salty meat, but matched with a less salted starch and a vegetable side, it balances it well. I made it with a French lentil side dish. Hmmm, I will add it here, since it is a variation from another untested recipe that I used.

3 - Made with fresh pork belly, not cured. It has skin on, which changes things - the recipe says to pierce the skin with a fork. A fork?!? The skin is really tough, like, football tough. So I cut a grid pattern with a sharp knife. Good, but I overcrowded the pan and bits didn't cook enough and the not-cooked-enough bits didn't taste as good. But the cooked bits were very good!

FOR THE LENTILS

Oil for sauteing

1 onion, finely chopped

7 ounces duPuy lentils (about 1 cup)

2 tsps Herbe de Provence

1/2 cup white wine

1 3/4 cups chicken stock

1. Saute the onion in the oil until soft and translucent.
2. Add the lentils and the Herbe de Provence and saute for another 2 minutes. It should be very fragrant by now.
3. Add the wine and reduce for a bout 5 minutes.
4. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 30-40 minutes, or until the lentils are perfectly soft.

FOR THE PORK

1½ lb pork belly with rind (675g)
1+1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground pepper

1. Cut pork belly into 4 strips of about 6 in x 1½ in each. Scrape each piece of pork belly rind with a knife to remove any impurities. Rinse well and drain.
2. Bring a pot of water to boil. Blanch the pork belly in the boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove and place pork belly, skin side up, on a tray.
3. Combine 1 tsp salt and all the pepper in a small bowl. Pierce the pork belly skin all over with a fork. Pat dry with paper towels. Rub the seasoning evenly over the three meaty sides of the pork belly. Rub the remaining 1 tsp salt into the rind.
4. Heat a cast iron skillet on the stove over medium heat (Use the popcorn trick?). When hot, start with the meat sides of the belly, and also, importantly, the ends! About 5 minutes per side, or until a deep brown.  thoroughly brown all the narrow sides and the ends. Cook the sides for 5 minutes each.  place pork belly strips on their side and cook for 5 minutes. Do the same for the other side and the meat side.
5. For the skin, turn the pork belly strips skin side down and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or until well browned and turning crispy. If the skin side is not flat, you may want to press each piece down with a pair of tongs so that they touch the base of the pan and sizzle. 
6. Remove and slice into smaller pieces (cubes? Size?). Serve immediately on top of the lentils and accompanied by an al-dente steamed vegetable like broccoli.