How to Cook Pork Belly
If you've been craving crispy pork belly, learn how to cook pork belly perfectly every single time. It's an incredibly easy recipe to turn a slab of pork belly into heaven on earth!
Servings: 6
Calories: 436kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork belly with skin on (not scored)-1.3 inch in thickness
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon pork seasoning use more if you need to
Instructions
Make It In the Oven
- Preheat the oven to 285F.
- Dry the skin of the pork belly.1 lb pork belly
- Rub the flesh with half of the olive oil and seasoning.2 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoon pork seasoning
- Layer 2 pieces of foil on a work surface (if you have thicker aluminum foil, you can use only 1 layer).
- Place the belly in the middle of the foil, skin side up.
- Fold the sides in to enclose the belly, forming an open box.
- Pinch the corners to seal tightly. Make sure that the aluminum foil is enclosed as close to the meat as possible.
- Place the meat on a baking tray.
- Rub the remaining oil and seasonings on the skin of the pork belly.2 tablespoon pork seasoning
- Place in the oven and roast for 2 ½ hours. If you have a thicker pork belly cut, you might need to roast for a little bit longer.
- Remove pork from the oven, then increase heat to 460F.
- Remove the pork from the foil and place it on the baking tray.
- Return the pork back to the oven for 20 minutes, rotate after 10 minutes if needed, until the skin is deep golden and crispy.
How to Fry Pork Belly
- Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Cut the pork belly into slices or strips.
- Pat the pork belly slices dry.
- Place the pork belly slices, soy sauce, and pork seasoning in a large mixing bowl. Mix until the slices are well seasoned.
- Place pork belly slices in the pan. No need to add oil.
- Cook for 7-8 mins on both sides or until the pork belly reaches 165 degrees F.
How to Air Fry Pork Belly
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F and spray the air fryer basket with oil to prevent sticking.
- Cut the pork belly into small cubes, spray with olive oil, and coat with homemade dry rub.
- Place the air fryer pieces in the basket in a single layer with some space between each piece.
- Air fry for 15 minutes and shake halfway through to flip the pieces.
- When the pork belly reaches 165 degrees F, remove it and place it on a paper towel to absorb extra fat.
How to Grill Pork Belly
- Preheat grill to 350F.
- Grill the seasoned pork belly for 3-5 minutes on one side, then flip.
- Repeat until the pork belly is done.
Notes
- Move your crispy pork belly to a paper towel to absorb excess pork fat after roasting.
- Score the skin with a sharp knife to get the dry rub in all the nooks and crannies.
- Pork belly is a fatty cut of meat, and that fat needs to be rendered out to get the crispy skin and tender meat. If it's still chewy, keep cooking.
- Fully preheat your oven to ensure you get a crispy crust every time.
- Layer your baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easy clean-up.
- If you don't like crispy pork skin, you can get a skinless variety at many grocery stores.
Nutrition
Calories: 436kcal | Protein: 7g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 22g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 257mg | Potassium: 140mg | Vitamin A: 240IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.4mg