???????????????????????????????????????????????????????TRY IT BIRD???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ? :bongobutt_spin:
if you're really worried about electricity use the instantpot type electronic pressure cookers are one of the most energy efficient ways to cook anything and when pressurized they will braise in about half the time.
i've done the braised pork belly stuff and for my money it's just better with a nitrate cure. it was fun to do some sous vide at like 140 or so for like 18 hours and then just sear all sides or drop in a deep fryer to finish, you end up with like bacon nugget gushers.
probably the most important thing to learn is how to salt and pretty much every home cook in burgerland has absolutely no idea how it's done because they think a few shakes of table salt from the shaker is going to do anything at all and then they wonder why the stuff at the restaurant tastes so much better and why they have such a hardon for le epic bacon and the potato chip aisle. generally speaking processed food (e.g. sausage) is going for about 1% salinity by weight and you can do this visualization exercise for yourself, but in professional kitchens we use kosher salt for 99% of things because it is a consistent granule size for a two or three finger pinch and you can see it on meat as you season.
bland food infuriates me because it costs you next to nothing to season properly.