Look no further if you're looking for the best way to cook crispy pork belly! We've discovered an easy 3-stage process that guarantees perfect results every time. Read on to learn more.
This is one of those ingredients that can make or break a dish. It can be dry, tough, and chewy if it's not cooked properly. But when it's done right, roast pork belly is super crispy, succulent, and utterly delicious.
There are several different methods for cooking, but we've recently discovered a new technique that yields the best pork belly results.
⬇️ Table of Contents
- What Is Pork Belly?
- What Is The Secret to Crispy Pork Belly?
- Watch How To Make
- Ingredients
- Instructions: How To Roast Crispy Pork Belly
- New Crispy Pork Skin Technique
- FAQs
- What’s the Difference Between Pork Belly and Bacon?
- Side Pork vs. Pork Belly: What's the Difference?
- How Do I Fix My Non-Crispy Pork Belly?
- 📖 Recipe Card
- 9 Facts About Pork Belly
What Is Pork Belly?
A pork belly is a fatty, boneless cut of meat from a pig's belly. It is an inexpensive, fatty cut of meat from the pig's underside near the loin. Spareribs also come from this area. Pork is a popular ingredient in many Chinese, Korean, and Filipino cuisines.
It is a versatile ingredient that can be cooked in many different ways. It can be roasted, braised, grilled, or fried. Pork belly can be used as a main dish or as an ingredient in other dishes such as soups, stews, and stir-fries.
What Is The Secret to Crispy Pork Belly?
The secret is to cook pork belly slowly at a low temperature. This will render the fat and make the skin crisp. You can either roast or fry at a low temperature to achieve this result. Another secret is to score the skin before cooking. This will help the fat render and ensure the skin is even more crispy.
1. Rub equal parts of baking soda and salt into the skin before cooking. This will help to draw out moisture.
2. Cook the pork belly slowly at a low temperature. will render the fat and make the meat juicy with crispy skin.
3. Score the skin before cooking. This will help the fat render and make the pork belly even more crispy.
Watch How To Make
Ingredients
🐖 Pork Belly
Sourcing top-quality pork belly is key. Select a piece of equal thickness from edge to edge to promote even cooking. Next is selecting the best cooking technique to create the finished result you want on the dinner table. Today we will make an oven-roasted crispy pork belly recipe that equals perfection.
🧂 Salt + 🥚 Egg Whites + Vinegar (Apple Cider)
Today will introduce you to a new technique that will create exquisitely crispy pork skin every time using a combination of salt, egg whites, apple cider vinegar, and Shaoxing Chinese cooking wine.
🍲 Dipping Sauce
- Soy Sauce
- Rice Wine Vinegar
- Sambol (spicy chili paste)
- Fresh Ginger
- Green Onions
- Sesame Oil
Check out and try this recipe for an amazing dipping sauce with tutorial Asian PotStickers
If you like, you can season the pork belly, there are many options; a classic option is using a Chinese 5 spice.
Instructions: How To Roast Crispy Pork Belly
Preparing the Oven: I suggest using two oven racks and placing a casserole dish with water on the bottom oven rack. Move the lower rack to the 2 from the bottom position.
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. (options online include using an Air Fryer)
Preparing the Pork Belly Skin: To help the skin fuffy up and become very crispy, we need to aerate the skin (poking 100 small holes in the skin). A large tip I learned over the years is not to poke too deep. If you do, the fat in the meat will be forced back up through the holes in the skin.
The excess fat (oil) forces upward and over-saturates the pork skin. Some of you might have just had an "aha moment." I did, too, when I learned what I was doing wrong. (poking holes too deep into the skin).
More cool tips to share:
To create the 100 holes (made up number). The idea behind 100 holes is you do not need a ton of them. Too many are counterproductive to puffy skin. We need to use a device or a knife with a smaller tip to create the holes.
Once the holes are complete, it's time to make several shallow knife cuts into the skin's surface. This will help with the puffy skin and presentation. You can cut in one direction or create a diamond pattern. I like the look of the diamond pattern, also called a Quattrolouge (cross-hatch).
Make cuts on the side of the pork belly. Applying the same ideology, do not cut too far into the skin.
Create a boat using aluminum foil around the pork. Then paint on rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar, followed by a sprinkling of sea salt. This is the first stage of removing moisture from the skin. This is an important skill to master.
Place into the refrigerator for 2 hours.
New Crispy Pork Skin Technique
Dust off the salt on the skin, then dry with a towel. Next, it is time to create the base of egg whites and salt to remove more moisture and begin the cooking process. This technique is often used to bake salt-casted fish. The idea is the cast will cook the meat evenly while still breathing, allowing some of the moisture to escape.
Steps:
Mix 2 cups of sea salt, 2 egg whites, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, and 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.
The ratio is 1-to-1. You will need to increase the recipe if you have a slab of pork belly.
Use an oven-safe roasting pan, and surround the pork with the salt cast. Do not add any underneath the pork.
Roast for 1 hour @ 325°f; some do better, at the oven to 350°f.
Remove the pork from the oven. You can see below additional moisture has been removed. Look at the skin side. Stage 2 of the new crispy pork belly skin is now complete.
Unearth the pork and place the pork belly on a baking sheet with a roasting rack. The roasting rack provides air circulation underneath. An important part of even cooking. Remove the salt around the pork.
To finish the baking process, lower the oven temperature to 275 F and roast for 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of your pork belly.
To help puff up the skin's crispiness, turn on your broiler for the last 5 to 10 minutes. Keep an eye on it the entire time under the broiler. The experience is fun to watch. You will get to watch all your work become crispy crackling pork skin.
Once the skin is to your liking, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for a few minutes before cutting. This will help the tender meat stay tender. Cutting too soon can dry out the crispy pork belly.
FAQs
What’s the Difference Between Pork Belly and Bacon?
Pork belly and bacon are two very popular products. A pork belly is a slab taken from a pig's belly. Bacon is a cured and smoked product that is made from pork belly. Both products are high in fat and flavor. It is often used in Asian cuisine, while bacon is popular breakfast food.
Side Pork vs. Pork Belly: What's the Difference?
Side pork and pork belly are both cuts of meat from the same area of the pig. Side pork is a leaner cut of meat, usually cured and smoked, while pork belly is a fattier cut of meat, cooked fresh.
Do I Need to Prepare My Pork Belly Overnight?
No, you don't need to prepare your pork belly overnight. All you need to do is season it and place it in the fridge for a few hours. This will help the skin to become crispy by drying out the skin.
Which Types of Pigs Are Good for Pork Belly?
Pigs that are good for pork belly have a lot of marbling in their meat.
Some good examples are Berkshire, Duroc, and Tamworth breeds. These pigs have the right fat-to-meat ratio that makes for delicious pork belly.
Other breeds of pigs can be used for pork belly, but these three are some of the best.Some good examples are Berkshire, Duroc, and Tamworth breeds. These pigs have the right fat-to-meat ratio that makes for delicious pork belly.
Other breeds of pigs can be used for pork belly, but these three are some of the best.
How Do I Fix My Non-Crispy Pork Belly?
If your pork belly is not crispy, there are a few things you can do to try to fix it:
- Make sure that the skin is completely dry before you cook it. If the skin is wet, it will not get crispy.
- Cook for a longing amount of time.
- Place under the broiler.
- Use a blow torch on the skin.
- Cook at a high temperature. A possible temperature to test is 400 degrees Fahrenheit. (This is the last option to try).
Pork belly should be cooked for at least 45 minutes, preferably closer to an hour. By following these tips, you should be able to get your pork belly nice and crispy.
Posts To Visit
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📖 Recipe Card
New Crispy Pork Belly
Suggested Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound Pork Belly A larger piece is fine. Increase the salt cast recipe by a ratio of 1 to 1
Pork Belly Salt Cast
- 2 cups Sea Salt
- 2 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 2 Egg Whites Discard the yolks
Instructions
How To Prepare Crispy Pork Belly
- Start with the pork skin. The objective is to create a number of small holes in the skin, but not deep enough to do all the way through the skin to the meat. Very important.If the hole breaks into the meat layer, the skin will not puff up and become crispy. The reason is the fat in the pork meat will rise up and be pushed through the small holes. This will saturate the pork skin with fat; puffing up happens by removing moisture.Create between 100 and 150 holes. You can either use a small knife or a meat-needling device.
- Next, using a sharp knife, make a number of thin cuts in the skin, making sure not to cut too deep or risk the fat bubbling up through the skin.
- Make a boat around the pork belly using aluminum foil, then paint on rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar. Finish with a sprinkling of sea salt. This is the first stage of removing moisture from the skin. Very important.Place into the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- The Salt Cast Method:You can skip this setup if you do not enjoy a moist, tender pork belly.Preheat the oven to 325 F. Use two oven racks, and place a casserole dish on the lower rack filled halfway with water.In a bowl, mix 2 cups of sea salt, 2 egg whites, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce.Place the pork belly into an oven-safe roasting pan. Add the salt cast around the pork belly, Do Not add any underneath, only around the sides and top.Bake for 1 hour.
- Creating Crispy Pork Skin:After the salt cast bake, place the pork on a wire rack. then back into the oven.Roast until done. This will vary each time. The reason is that every piece of pork belly will have a different amount of fat in it, so the cook times will change.Select pieces of pork with the most meat in them and less white (fat). Finishing: For the last 5 to 10 minutes of the roasting, turn on the broiler. The intense heat will cause the pork skin to become very crispy. Do not walk away during this process, as things can go from perfect to burnt very quickly.
Notes
9 Facts About Pork Belly
Pork belly is a delicious and versatile cut of meat that can be cooked in many different ways. Here are 12 facts about pork belly that you may not know:- Pork belly is actually the fatty layer of meat that sits beneath the pig's skin.
- Pork belly has a high-fat content, which makes it ideal for cooking methods that require rendering, such as braising or slow-cooking roasting.
- The fatty nature of pork belly also means that it is highly susceptible to spoilage if not correctly stored.
- Pork belly is a popular ingredient in many cuisines around the world, including Chinese, Korean, and Filipino dishes.
- In the United States, pork belly is often used to make bacon.
- Bacon is typically made by curing pork belly with salt, sugar, and spices, then smoking it.
- Pork belly can also be cooked without curing or smoking, though it will not have the same flavor as bacon.
- Pork belly is often used as a type of "fastback" in sausage making.
- Fatback is the layer of fat that sits on the back of a pig, and it can also be used to make sausage.
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