When we last placed an order from our friends who have a pig ranch, we asked for fresh pork belly - 10 pounds of it! Why? Because it's crispy on the outside, juicy and flavorful inside, and oh so versatile.
If you've had poorly cooked pork belly - chewy or otherwise unpleasant, you know that technique is important. We looked at several recipes and settled on the master recipe from Momofuku, which David Chang was kind enough to share at Lucky Peach. We expected that he probably knew what he was talking about. What we didn't expect was how ridiculously simple the recipe would be!
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Skinless Pork Belly vs. Skin On Pork Belly
This easy recipe works beautifully for both skinless and skin-on pork belly! The only difference is that you'll need to score the skin with the skin-on variety before roasting to get that perfectly golden brown and crisp crackling (crispy pork skin) and allow the seasonings to permeate the fat and meat. With the skinless variety, you'll skip the scoring and go straight to seasoning.
Side Pork vs. Pork Belly
Pork belly and side pork are the same thing. A pig's belly wraps around the sides, thus how the two terms came to be synonymous. If you ask for side pork or pork belly from your butcher, you will get the same exact cut of meat.
They're often confused, but here's the difference: pork belly is a fresh, thick slab of meat cut from the abdomen of a pig. It hasn't been cured or smoked. Bacon has been cured, smoked and sliced and typically comes from belly or back cuts (less fatty).
A few important tips before you begin:
There are some things to keep in mind when making this recipe to be sure that it comes out perfectly every time. First, despite the fact that you'll only have a few moments of active time, you'll want to start the process three days ahead. You're essentially dry brining the meat and it needs an overnight stint in your refrigerator to take on all of that wonderful flavor. Then (ideally) you'll refrigerate overnight again after roasting and before slicing and crisping.
Second, when you're buying pork belly, no matter if it is skinless or skin on, look for a slab that is close to an even thickness, and around one pound (larger cuts will work, but will increase the cooking time). If you have thin areas, they are likely to burn during the first 30 minutes of roasting at 450˚F.
Third, for the best pork belly, I recommended that you cook and then wrap and chill it overnight before slicing (don't worry, the skin-on version with still have crispy skin). This has two benefits: it's much easier to slice and stays together beautifully when crisping up in a pan. That said, we almost always have a sample or two when it's fresh out of the oven because it smells irresistible and tastes amazing!
Finally, be sure to use a heavy bottomed, oven-proof pan or skillet for roasting (not a glass baking dish where the fat that renders will burn and smoke excessively).
How to Cook Pork Belly: Skin-On or Skinless
1. If you're cooking skinless pork belly, move on to the next step. For skin on pork belly, pat skin dry with a paper towel and score skin with a very sharp knife on the diagonal about ½-inch apart. Repeat this cutting in the opposite direction to create a diamond pattern (see image below). Take care to make shallow cuts - it's okay to go into the fat, but don't cut so deep that you go into the meat.
2. Season a one pound piece of pork belly (skin on or skinless) with a dry rub of sugar, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Seasoning Pork Belly Top Rubbing Seasoning into Skin Seasoning Pork Belly Side Seasoning Pork Belly Underside
3. The next day roast in a heavy, oven-safe pan or skillet in a 450°F oven on the middle rack for the first 30 minutes and then an hour at 275°F. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate until chilled through - at least a few hours and up to 2 days.
Roasted Skin On Pork Belly Roasted Skinless Pork Belly
4. Once chilled, slice into thick pieces and brown until crispy to enjoy alone or in a variety of recipes from salads to soups to sandwiches and more!
Pan crisped slices are perfect for Pork Belly Ramen, Pork Belly Sandwiches, and Pork Belly Tacos. Or use it in place of bacon in Bucatini all' Amatriciana, Wedge Salad, or Spinach Salad. Hungry yet?
Pork Belly Recipe Video
Oven Roasted Crispy Pork Belly
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork belly skin on or skinless
- 2 teaspoons fine salt or 4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- a few grinds of black pepper
Instructions
- For skinless pork belly, move on to the next step. If using skin on pork belly, pat skin dry with a paper towel. With a sharp knife, score through skin every ½-inch at a diagonal, cutting through skin and into fat, but not so deep that you hit meat. Repeat cutting in an opposite diagonal to create a diamond shape pattern. (recipe note #1)
- Season pork belly with salt sugar and a few grinds of black pepper. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Roast pork belly for 30 minutes on the middle rack in a heavy, oven-safe pan or skillet, skin side up / fat side up. Reduce heat to 275°F and roast for an hour or more, until tender but not mushy. (Larger pieces of pork belly will take longer. Our one-pound belly was done after an hour at 275°F.)
- Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate until chilled through - at least a few hours and up to 2 days.
- Once chilled, slice into thick pieces and brown in a skillet on the stovetop until crisp. Enjoy alone or in soups, salads, pasta sauces, ramen and more! (recipe note #2)
Notes
- Scoring the pork belly skin allows it to crisp up and allows the seasoning to penetrate into the fat and meat below the skin.
- Be sure to check out my collection of Pork Belly Recipes for ways to use this delicious crispy pork belly!
Best recipe on the Net. Came out of the oven PERFECT!!
aww...you made my day, Jenna! So glad this was a hit.
I made this yesterday to use in your Pork Belly Ramen recipe later today. It looks sooo delicious and fork-tender and I haven’t even crisped it up yet. Can’t wait for supper tonight!😋
That's wonderful, Cheryl! Loved your photo on Instagram - your ramen turned out perfectly!
This is my favorite pork belly recipe, hands down. I actually prefer to use skinless pork belly for this recipe. It's slightly heathier and the crust that forms in the oven is perfect even if you skip the pan crisping step and toss it straight into a bowl of ramen. I have to make 4 lbs because I use it up so fast and I can't resist eating almost 1 lb when I pull it out of the oven (yes, I'm a glutton.) It only takes 30-45 minutes of extra roasting time. I'm dying to try the lettuce wrap recipe!
This is wonderful to hear, Spencer! Thank you for coming back to let me know!
I made this but was short on time so did not do as much of the chilling as directed. it was still delicious. may I ask, why the need to chill again after it's out of the oven?
Hi, CC. So glad you enjoyed the pork belly! Chilling after it's cooked firms the pork belly and makes it easier to slice.
I tried this recipe yesterday and it turned out delicious. I shortened the timeline down to 24 hours since I don't have 3 dsys to prepare a dish. Here are how I did it:
1. I did the prep part the evening before. I doubled the seasoning because I had 2 lbs of pork belly. I put the seasoned pork belly in the frig over night.
2. At lunchtime, I put the 2 lbs pork belly in the oven and baked it 30 min. longer since I had 2 lbs of pork belly (and also because I couldn't get out of a meeting). I tested it, it was cooked through.
3. I left it on the counter for about 1 hour and then put it in the frig for >2 hours. It's "chilled" to me.
4. I cut it and put in the pan to brown it. It doesn't look as good as your photo and the skin became too hard to chew on, but the rest of it is delicious.
One important thing I did is that I cleared out all the oil/grease. I used paper towels to dab the meat dry after every step and poured all the oil into zip lock bag to throw in the trash. The end result is crispy but not oily. I love pork belly, especially Shanghainese braided pork belly which is my late grandma's home cooking. But with all the fat, it's not the most healthy food. I think this recipe is healthier.
So glad you found this recipe helpful, J.C.! Thank you for your detailed notes on your experience.
Absolutely delicious!! I made 2 (1 lb) skinless pork belly slices with my roommates and we could not get enough of it. I think marinating overnight really helped the sweet and savory seasoning sink in. The only mistake i think was using a glass pan, which smoked up and set off our smoke alarms, so I turned down the temp about 5-10 minutes early. Came out perfectly crispy and juicy. Can't wait to make it again!
I'm so glad this was a hit, Scott! Thank you so much for coming back to let me know. And yes about the glass dish. I'm sorry that happened - if you read down in the comments, you'll see that another reader had this issue so I updated the recipe to specify a heavy, oven-safe pan or skillet.
Uh Oh did not work at all for us. After 30 minutes at 450 degrees it was charred. We followed the recipe exactly. That said, even charred you can tell it would be delicious. And ours was not a small piece it was 1 1/4 lb.
Oh no, Leslie. I’m sorry that happened. I’d love to help you figure out what went wrong. A few questions come to mind: Was your piece of pork belly of an even thickness? Was your oven rack in the center or in the upper third (wondering if it was too close to the element)? Have you checked your oven temperature accuracy recently with a separate oven thermometer?
Mine was too! Exactly same thing
Thank you for providing a recipe for Crispy pork belly! I've always wanted to try and make it but was not sure how to. This looks so easy I cannot not try it!
My pleasure, Kelley! I hope you love it.
I skipped the refrigerated part at the beginning and I’m assuming it was to help get the rub nice into the meat and just let it sit an hour then proceeded to put it in the oven. It didn’t get crunchy at all, I did it with a skinless pork belly, what could have gone wrong? Is the first refrigeration that essential to get crispy and crunchy? Please help
Hi there, Joe. Even with skinless pork belly, you should have a few crispy edges. For really crispy pork belly, be sure to follow steps 5 and 6 in the recipe (after you've roasted the pork belly), i.e., wrap and refrigerate overnight then thinly slice and crisp in a skillet. You'll love it!
This such an informative post. Thank you -- I learned a lot. Soooooo delicious! 🙂 ~Valentina
My pleasure, Valentina!
How incredible does this crispy pork belly look?! My son Sean would absolutely love it Marissa! I think the next time he comes home we're going to try your recipe!
I love to hear that, Mary Ann! I hope you and your son love it!
I have to admit, I don't eat pork belly, but this is making me want to try! Looks perfectly cooked, Marissa! And love all the details 🙂 !
Thank you, Dawn!