Best Crispy Pork Belly Recipes

CRISPY PORK BELLY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).
• Season pork belly all over with smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Wrap pork in parchment paper; wrap a second time in aluminum foil, and a third time in another sheet of aluminum foil. Place pork packet in a baking dish.
• Roast in the preheated oven until tender for 6 hours. Let cool in wrappings to room temperature; place cooled packet in refrigerator and chill for 8 hours or overnight.
• Unwrap chilled meat. Save any rendered fat that falls away when unwrapping pork.
• Cut meat into 6 equal-size portions. Cut 1/8-inch by 1/8-inch slashes in the fat-side of the pork. Season with salt.
• Heat 2 tablespoons reserved pork fat in a skillet over medium heat. Place pork belly, fat side down, in hot fat; cook until well-browned on all sides and heated through, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer pork belly to a plate, drizzle with olive oil and season with pepper.

CRISPY PORK BELLY

Steps:

• For the pork belly: Line a baking sheet with foil and fit with a wire rack.
• Mix together the olive oil, thyme, mustard powder, coriander, red pepper flakes, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and a generous amount of pepper in a small bowl until combined. Mix the baking powder with 2 teaspoons salt in a separate small bowl.
• Pat the skin of the pork belly completely dry. Use a sharp skewer, fork or paring knife to poke lots of holes all over the skin, making sure not to hit the meat. This will help the skin crisp up. Flip the pork over and rub the spice mixture all over the meat (not the skin). Transfer to the prepared baking sheet skin-side up. Sprinkle half of the baking powder mixture over the skin. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Wipe off the baking powder mixture from the pork with a paper towel. Pat the skin completely dry and sprinkle with the remaining baking powder mixture.
• Bake until the pork is cooked through and tender, about 2 hours. Raise the temperature to 500 degrees F and continue cooking until the skin is golden brown, bubbling and crispy, about 20 minutes more. Let rest for 10 minutes.
• For the sauce: Meanwhile, whisk together the cilantro, olive oil, honey, scallions, garlic, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a medium bowl.
• Slice the pork belly into 1/2-inch-thick slices and transfer to a serving platter. Spoon the sauce down the middle before serving.

CRISPY ROAST PORK BELLY

Steps:

• Bring a large pan of water, big enough to fit the pork belly in, to the boil. Add the bicarb and poach the pork on a gentle simmer for 5 mins.
• Meanwhile, put the coriander seeds and chilli flakes in a small frying pan and toast over a medium heat until the seeds are aromatic, being careful not to burn the chilli.
• Carefully lift the pork out of the pan using two slotted spoons and put in a roasting tin, skin-side down. Pat dry with kitchen towel and pierce the meat all over with a knife. Grind the toasted spices with the salt using a pestle and mortar, then cover the meat with half the spiced salt. Turn the pork over and pat the skin dry with kitchen paper, pressing down to make sure it's dry . Squeeze the lemon juice all over the skin, then rub the lemon, flesh-side down, over it. Pat dry again and rub the remaining salt mixture over, making sure it gets into the grooves. Chill, uncovered, for 1 hr, or as long as possible (up to 24 hours).
• Bring the pork out of the fridge 30 mins before you want to cook it and heat oven to 240C/220C fan/ gas 9. Nestle the fennel and onion underneath the meat. Roast for 40 mins, turning the roasting tin halfway so that it cooks evenly. Turn the oven down to 160C/140C fan/ gas 3, add the apple, apple juice and sherry to the tin and cook for 1 hr. Turn the oven up to 220C/200C fan/ gas 7 and roast for a further 10-15 mins until the crackling is crisp. Remove from the oven and rest for at least 15 mins, keeping the juices and apple, onion and fennel warm in a low oven. Flip the pork over and use a very sharp knife to cut it up into chunks, in line with the rib bones. Spoon over the juices.Use any leftovers in Rosie's pork & black bean tacos or spicy Singapore noodles.

CRISPY PORK BELLY WITH BRAISED RED CABBAGE AND SUGAR BROWNED POTATOES

Steps:

• For the pork belly: Pat the skin of the pork belly completely dry. Using a sharp knife, cut parallel lines across the skin and fat, about a 1/2 inch apart, making sure not to cut down into the meat.
• Mix the salt, baking powder and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the pork all over with the salt mixture, making sure to get it into the grooves on the skin. Place the pork skin-side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours (see Cook's Note).
• About an hour before cooking the pork, allow it to come to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Pour 4 cups of water into the roasting pan with the pork (this will prevent the drippings from burning). Cook until the meat is tender but not falling apart, about 3 hours.
• For the cabbage: Meanwhile, add the cabbage, vinegar, jam, sugar and salt to a large high-sided skillet and mix to combine. Cover, place over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally to make sure the cabbage is not browning, until softened and no longer crisp, about 20 minutes. The cabbage will release some moisture, but if it starts to stick to the bottom of the skillet or seems dry, add water 1 tablespoon at a time to moisten. Keep warm.
• For the potatoes: Put the potatoes in a medium pot, cover with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the potatoes are tender but not too soft, about 15 minutes. Drain into a colander and set aside for about 10 minutes. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel them with your hands or a paring knife.
• Meanwhile, add the sugar to a large skillet and set over medium heat. Cook, without stirring, until the sugar is completely melted, about 3 minutes. When the edges start to turn brown, after about another 3 minutes, add the butter and kosher salt. Using a rubber spatula, stir carefully to combine. Continue to cook until the mixture is amber, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring gently to coat them with the browned sugar, until heated through, about 4 minutes. (Don't worry if the sugar hardens when you first add the potatoes; it will melt again.) Sprinkle with flaky sea salt before serving.
• After the pork belly has cooked for 3 hours, increase the oven temperature to 475 degrees F and continue to cook until the skin is crisp and brown, about 20 minutes more. Let rest for 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with the cabbage and potatoes.

CRISPY PORK BELLY SANDWICH

Steps:

• For the braised pork belly: Sprinkle the pork belly with the garlic pepper seasoning, then refrigerate, 24 hours.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and preheat a large skillet over medium heat.
• Sear both sides of the pork belly until charred (about 5 minutes per side). Immediately add the rice wine, carrot, celery, onion, salt, sugar, star anise, cloves, Sichuan peppercorns and red chile pepper and bring to a boil. Cover with aluminum foil and transfer to the oven. Let cook for 3 hours, then remove the pork belly from the liquid and allow to cool. Cut into 6-ounce portions.
• For the peach hoisin sauce: Put the peaches in a blender and blend into a puree. Pour into a bowl, then add the hoisin sauce and sugar and whisk until well blended.
• For the sandwich: Bring oil to 325 degrees F in a deep-fryer.
• Thickly slice a 6-ounce portion of braised pork belly (it should come out to 5 to 6 slices per portion). Fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Toast the bun. Place the fried pork belly on the bottom bun. Drizzle with peach hoisin sauce and serve with kimchi on the side.

CRISPY MUSTARD BRAISED PORK BELLY

Steps:

• Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Massage the rub all over the pork belly, then cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Remove the belly from the refrigerator. Coat a large straight-sided pan with olive oil and put over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, fennel, and garlic. Season the vegetables with crushed red pepper and salt, to taste. Cook the vegetables until they start to soften and become very aromatic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the wine and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the mustard and 2 cups of the chicken stock. Taste to make sure it is delicious. Add the pork belly and toss in the thyme and bay leaves. Cover and put in the preheated oven. Braise the belly for 6 hours, checking occasionally. If the liquid level goes down add the remaining stock.
• When the belly is done it will be very tender and succulent. Remove the lid and set the oven to broil. Broil the pork belly until it turns golden, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the belly, from the braising liquid, to a cutting board. Cut the belly into 6 or 8 equal portions depending on your appetite. Arrange the pork on a serving platter and ladle the braising liquid on top.

TWICE-BAKED POTATOES WITH CRISPY PORK BELLY AND CHEDDAR CHEESE

Steps:

• For the potatoes: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Make a bed of salt on a quarter-sheet tray and place the potatoes on top. Bake until tender, about 1 hour. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise, then hollow out the skins, scooping the flesh into a bowl. Add the cream, butter, egg yolks and cheese to the potato filling and mix thoroughly.
• For the pork belly: Meanwhile, turn the heat under a large stovetop pressure cooker to medium-high and add 2 tablespoons oil, along with the onions and garlic. Allow to sweat, about 3 minutes. Add the juniper, allspice, clove, mustard seeds, peppercorns and bay leaves and stir to combine. Pour in the beer and stir in the soy sauce and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer, then gently add the pork belly. Carefully secure the pressure cooker lid and bring to high pressure over medium-high heat. Cook at pressure for as long as it takes for the potatoes to cook, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Turn off the heat and carefully run the pressure cooker under cold water until cool enough to open. Open and remove the pork.
• Preheat a deep-fryer or a large Dutch oven with oil to 350 degrees F.
• Set aside some of the pork pieces for garnish, glazing with what is left in the pressure cooker. Fry the pieces in batches until crispy, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Chop the crispy fried pork into chunks, then fold them into the potato mixture. Spoon the potato mixture into the potato skins and bake until crispy and browned, about 15 minutes. Top each with any remaining pork belly pieces and green onions.

THE SEOUL BOWL "CRISPY KOREAN PORK BELLY BOWL WITH HOUSE-MADE BANCHAN PICKLES"

Steps:

• For the pork belly: Combine gochujang, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, garlic and ginger in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook on medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. For best results let the marinade rest for 48 hours to allow flavors to marry.
• Reserve 1 cup marinade to thicken and use as glaze when finishing dish.
• Place pork belly in a hotel pan. Pour marinade over pork belly, making sure all surfaces are covered. Cover in foil and let marinade 24 to 48 hours, refrigerated.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Roast pork for 4 hours. Remove from marinade and let pork cool overnight in refrigerator.
• Slice pork into 2-by-8-inch blocks, then slice into 1/4-inch slabs.
• For the kimchi: Quarter the cabbage, then slice into 2-inch sections. Place cabbage in a container and cover with cold water. Add salt. Cover and let sit 12 hours to allow cabbage to brine.
• Drain well. Combine cabbage with kimchi marinade, scallions, carrots, garlic, ginger, gochugaru and fish sauce in a large mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours. Bottle and refrigerate.
• For the Korean pickled onion: Place onions and jalapeno in a mason jar or container with lid.
• Combine soy sauce, sugar, lemon juice, vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a saucepot and bring to a simmer. Pour hot liquid over onions, then let cool. Refrigerate 48 hours before serving.
• For wakame seaweed and cucumber quick pickle: Place wakame seaweed in a bowl and cover with cold water to hydrate.
• Quarter cucumbers, then slice into 1/2-inch pieces. Place cucumbers in a colander and sprinkle liberally with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon sugar. Let cucumber rest, draining in sink to allow water to be drawn out, 1 hour.
• Simmer vinegar with remaining cup sugar and tablespoon salt in a saucepan.
• Let cool. Squeeze moisture from wakame, then combine with cucumber. Cover with marinade and refrigerate overnight before using.
• For the Korean mung bean sprout salad: Bring 4 cups water and the salt to a boil in a saucepan.
• Place bean sprouts in a colander in sink. Pour boiling salted water over bean sprouts, then rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Let drain well.
• Combine bean sprouts with sesame oil, dashi, sesame seeds, pepper and scallions in a mixing bowl and let flavors marry 30 minutes or longer, refrigerated.
• For the steamed white rice: Wash rice under cold running water until water runs clear. Add rice to a Japanese rice steamer and add 3 cups cool water. Cook until done, then let rest 10 to 15 minutes.
• For the Seoul bowl: Heat a cast-iron skillet. Cook pork belly until crispy.
• Stir the cornstarch into 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl, then stir into the reserved pork belly marinade in a small saucepan. Simmer 1 minute.
• Mound 1/2 to 3/4 cup rice in an individual serving bowl. Arrange the four Korean pickles on rice. Fan 3 to 4 slices cooked pork belly on pickles/rice. Drizzle with thickened sauce.
• Garnish with thinly sliced scallions. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

ROASTED PORK BELLY WITH CRISPY SKIN

Steps:

• Pat pork belly dry with paper towels. Score pork belly skin in a crosshatch pattern with a sharp knife.
• Place pork belly skin side-up in a large roasting pan. Pour fish sauce evenly over pork belly. Season with rock salt and pepper. Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Cover roasting pan with aluminum foil.
• Roast pork belly in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Continue baking, basting pork belly with juices every 30 minutes, until very tender, about 4 hours.
• Remove aluminum foil and turn on the oven's broiler. Broil pork belly until skin is crisp, about 30 minutes. Remove pork belly from oven. Let rest for 30 minutes. Slice off the bone.
• Mix shallots, soy sauce, calamansi juice, sinamak, and chile peppers in a bowl to make dipping sauce. Serve slices of pork belly with dipping sauce.

CRISPY PORK BELLY BAO BUNS

Steps:

• For the pork belly and marinade: Blend the gochujang, honey, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame seeds and sesame oil in a blender.
• Put pork belly in a roasting pan and pour marinade over. Let marinate overnight in refrigerator.
• Preheat the oven to 320 degrees F.
• Cook for 4 hours. Remove from oven and let cool. Pour off excess liquid, then place pork belly in fridge overnight. Slice into 1/4-inch pieces.
• For the bao buns: Steam or microwave bao buns until warm and soft.
• In a hot frying pan over medium heat, cook sliced pork belly to crisp up. On a serving plate, place 3 bao buns. Place a slice of crispy pork belly, a hoisin sauce drizzle, cucumber, Pickled Red Onion and cilantro leaves. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Serve hot.
• Mix together the vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, salt and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepot. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat. Pour warm mixture over red onions in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 5 days before using.

CRISPY PORK CHEEK, BELLY OR TURKEY-THIGH SALAD

Steps:

• Sprinkle the meat liberally with salt and pepper. Refrigerate overnight, uncovered.
• When you're ready to cook, rinse the meat in cold water; if you're using the oven (see next step), heat to 300. Put the fat in a pot that will allow you to submerge the meat, or nearly so. If you're using lard or duck fat, heat it in the oven until melted; if you're using oil, warm it.
• Submerge the meat in the fat, put a piece of parchment paper directly on top and weigh the paper down with something (I used a wooden spoon) to keep it in place. Cook slowly on top of the stove or in the oven, adjusting the heat as necessary so the fat bubbles gently - not rapidly - and turning the meat once or twice if it is not completely submerged. (You may wind up cooking at a temperature as low as 250.) It's done when you can easily pierce it with a skewer, 2 hours or longer for cheek and belly, 1 hour for turkey.
• Remove the meat from the fat. Proceed or refrigerate the meat, lightly covered, for a day or two. Heat the oven to 350. (If you're using turkey, drizzle the bread with olive oil.) Place the meat skin-side up directly on top of the slice of bread (you want the meat to just cover the bread; any bread that's exposed may burn). Put on a rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and roast, checking occasionally and adjusting the heat as necessary, until the skin becomes quite crisp, as little as 45 minutes or somewhat longer. Remove.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, capers, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning; the dressing should be quite sharp. Wash and dry the greens. If you're using turkey, pull out the thigh bones (they should slip out easily). With the meat still on top of the bread, chop the meat and bread into bite-size pieces (it doesn't matter if it crumbles a bit). Toss with the greens and the dressing, and serve.

CRISPY SWEET AND SPICY PORK BELLY WITH KIMCHI AND CRUSTED PEANUTS

Steps:

• Score the top of the pork flesh about 1/4 inch deep every 1/4 inch in a crosshatch pattern. Put the pork in a large baking dish and rub the meat all over with 2 tablespoons of kimchi base. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or, even better, overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Remove the plastic wrap from the pork and replace with a piece of aluminum foil. Bake the belly for 2 1/2 hours, or until the meat is super soft. Remove the pork from the oven and transfer to a platter or baking dish. Allow the meat to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for roughly 2 hours. Discard all of the pork fat left in the baking dish.
• To prepare the glaze, in a small bowl combine the remaining 1/4 cup kimchi base and the honey; set aside.
• Heat 3 inches of oil to 350°F in a countertop electric fryer or deep pot. If you don't have a deep-fry thermometer to maintain the temperature, a good way to test if the oil is hot enough is to stick the end of a wooden spoon or chopstick in it. If bubbles circle around the end, then you're good to go.
• Remove the pork from the fridge and cut into 6 equal pieces. Spread the flour on a plate and dredge all sides of the pork in the flour, tapping off the excess.
• Using a slotted spoon, carefully slip 3 of the pork pieces at a time into the hot oil. Fry until the pork belly is crispy and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer the pork to a platter lined with paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining pork belly pieces.
• To serve, divide the kimchi among 6 small shallow bowls. Place a piece of the crisp pork belly in the center. Drizzle a little bit of the glaze on top and sprinkle with peanuts. Garnish with the sprouts.

THAI-STYLE CRISPY BELLY PORK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180C/gas 4
• Take the belly pork and score the skin right through to the flesh. Score every half inch approx. Scoring through to the flesh will help later when dicing the meat.
• Place the pork into a non-stick roasting tray, cover the skin in ground course salt. Place into oven for approx. 1 hour or until skin is golden and crispy. Chop into half inch chunks.
• While pork is cooking, crush garlic, thinly chop ginger, dice onion, slice leek, and prepare bean sprouts for cooking in wok.
• Heat 1 tbsp of oil in wok add garlic, ginger, onion, leek and bean sprouts and cook until piping hot.
• Cook noodles according to packet instructions. Drain noodles thoroughly and add to the ingredients in wok along with the crispy chopped pork. Remove from heat, as noodles and pork should still be hot.
• Once removed from heat add soy sauce and honey. Toss well and serve.
• Drizzle remaining sauce from wok over food.
• Try using a Thai sweet chilli dipping sauce to add a little kick to dish

CRISPY CRACKLED PORK BELLY WITH FENNEL & APPLE SLAW

Steps:

• Using a pestle and mortar, crush together the fennel seeds, coriander seeds and chilli flakes, then mix the spices into the salt. Put the pork belly in a roasting tin and slash lines across the skin (about 5mm apart) using a sharp knife. Rub the skin with most of the salt mix, and chill, uncovered, overnight.
• The next day, heat the oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3. Remove the pork from the fridge and scrape off the salt mix. Pat well with kitchen paper to remove the moisture, then re-season with the remaining salt mix. Roast for 2 hrs, then reduce the oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2 and cook for a further 1 hr. Turn the oven up to its highest for 15-20 mins or until crackled. If your pork still hasn't crackled enough, heat the grill to its highest setting. Transfer the pork to a baking sheet and grill for 4-5 mins (watch it to make sure it doesn't burn). Cover and rest for 30 mins.
• To make the slaw, mix together the lemon zest and juice with the olive oil, chilli and some seasoning in a large bowl. Toss the with the shallot, fennel and apple. Top with the fennel fronds, if you like.
• Whizz together all the ingredients for the mojo verde and season to taste. Slice and serve the pork with the slaw andmojo verde on the side. Any leftover pork can be warmed and piled into crusty rolls with the slaw and mojo verde.