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You need just 4 everyday ingredients to make Pork Belly that’s crispy on the outside, juicy and flavorful inside, and oh so versatile. It’s the kind of thing you taste in a restaurant and think it would be impossible to make at home – but it’s just the opposite. Enjoy it on its own, simply pan-fried, or as the star of countless dishes.
If you’ve had poorly cooked pork belly – chewy or otherwise unpleasant – you know that technique is important. After experiencing the melt-in-your-mouth version at David Chang’s Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York City, where they use it to top bowls of ramen, fill steamed buns, and crown noodle bowls, I was determined to recreate it at home. I turned to David Chang’s Momofuku: A cookbook, where he generously shares the method. To my surprise, the recipe was ridiculously simple! And the result? Unbelievably succulent and truly restaurant-quality.
This is a fantastic, simple recipe. I have made it twice now then also used your P.L.T sandwich recipe. It’s sinful! Thank you for sharing!!!
LINDSEY L
Table of Contents
Ingredients for this Pork Belly Recipe
- Pork Belly: skin-on or skinless (more on that below)
- Fine Salt: or twice the amount of kosher salt (Diamond Crystal brand, or an equal amount of Morton brand)
- Sugar: plain granulated white sugar
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Skinless vs. Skin-On Pork Belly
Chang’s original recipe calls for skinless pork belly, but this easy recipe works beautifully whether your piece has skin or not! The only difference is that if the skin is still intact, you’ll need to score it before roasting to get that perfectly golden brown and crisp crackling (crispy 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. Either way, the result is delicious.
Pork Belly, Side Pork, and Bacon
Pork belly and side pork are the same thing – the terms are synonymous because a pig’s belly wraps around its sides. If you ask your butcher for either, you’ll get the same cut of meat.
Don’t confuse pork belly with bacon, though. Pork belly is a fresh, thick slab of meat cut from the pig’s abdomen, uncured and unsmoked. Bacon, while often made from belly, has been cured, smoked, and sliced. It can also come from less fatty back cuts. So while they start from a similar place, they end up as very different ingredients in your kitchen.
5 essential Recipe Tips
- Plan Ahead: 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 stay 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.
- When 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. If you have thin areas, they are more likely to burn during the first 30 minutes of roasting at 450˚F (No matter what, keep and eye on it during this first high-heat period to avoid burning.) Larger cuts will work, but will increase the cooking time.
- For the best texture: I recommend that you cook, then wrap and chill the pork belly overnight before slicing. This has a few benefits:
- It’s much easier to slice.
- It stays together beautifully when crisping up in a pan.
- Allows flavors to intensify and meld.
- (Confession: we almost always have a sample or two when it’s fresh out of the oven because it smells irresistible and tastes amazing!)
- Use the right pan: 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).
- Get creative! This versatile ingredient shines in a variety of dishes. Try using it in ramen, tacos, sliders, or even fried rice for delicious and unexpected flavor combinations (recipe links below!).
How to Cook Pork Belly: Skin-On or Skinless
Step 1: For skin-on pork belly (for skinless, move on to the next step): pat skin dry with a paper towel and score skin with a very sharp knife on the diagonal about 1/2-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.
Step 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.
Step 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.
Step 4: Once chilled, slice into thick pieces and brown until crispy to enjoy alone or in a variety of recipes from salads (like Wedge Salad or Spinach Salad) to soups to sandwiches and more!
Oven Roasted Crispy Pork Belly
Video
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 1/2-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.
- Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Be sure to check out my collection of Pork Belly Recipes for ways to use this delicious crispy pork belly!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My second question(s) as I try this recipe for my first time. I found your prior post about freezing it before or after cooking, so that is good to know. My problem is that I put it in the oven at 450 and the juices and I’m assuming the sugar in the pan has burned. I have the fans on and the door of the house open, but it’s smoky in here. So, I put a bit of water in the pan, which I know ruins the crispiness I’m in search of. Is it normal for the stuff in the pan to burn? I am using a 9×13 glass pan — should I not use glass? I also did not take the skin off, but from reading other comments, I’m assuming that’s not the issue. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Kristen – sorry about the smoke! I haven’t had that issue, but always use a heavy pan like a cast iron skillet or ceramic coated heavy skillet. Perhaps it is the glass pan?
That’s what I’m thinking. Thank you for replying. I will use a cast iron pan the next time. I did make the ramen tonight! YUM! And I took the skin off the pork belly afterwards, crisped it up well on the stove, and mixed it in with the dogs food. The dog is very happy too tonight!
I’m so glad that it worked out, Kristen! And glad you made the ramen too – one of our favorites! Love it that your dog got an extra treat tonight too. 🙂
My sister recommended putting a bit of water in the pan, scewer the pork loin to sit above the water rather than in the water while its in The oven. Havent tried it her way yet but we’ll see.
Can you direct me to the post that talks about freeze thing pork belly before vs after cooking? I haven’t been able to find it.
I have my pork belly in the fridge after seasoning last night. It will go into the oven shortly. My question is whether, after you cook it, cool it, and slice it, can I freeze the slices? I’d like to be able to have them in the freezer and ready to take out and crisp up in the fry pan for a quick week-night Ramen dinner. What do you think?
Yes, you can absolutely freeze the slices for a quick meal later!
Hi there. I’m planning on cooking 2 lbs pork belly. How much longer should I cook it at the low temperature? Thank you.
Hi Aun! I’d recommend cutting the pork belly in half lengthwise before you begin and you will want to cook it longer at the lower temperature because of the extra weight. My best guess is 75-90 minutes. I’d love to hear how it goes!
Hi Marissa,
Thank you for this amazing recipe! I have two slabs that are almost 1 pound each (.8 lbs). How long do you recommend cooking them at 275? Thank you!
Hi, Bethany! I’d start checking them at 45 minutes during the 275˚F portion of cooking. My guess is that with two, they’ll still take the full hour. I’d love to hear how it goes!
Being in my mid-80s and alone I would love to try this. Wonder if the pork belly was made to your receipe and
served/eaten over a plate of commercially steamed asian veggies and maybe topped with shredded chedder would be fast delicious and something for a non-cook to enjoy? Your comment would be appreciated.
Hi, Al. Sure, feel free to use the cooked pork belly in any dish that you like. You might try the dish first without the cheese as pork belly is very rich on its own. Hope you enjoy!
Hi so I have made this several times and wonder what is the benefit of the salt and sugar? Is it like dry rub because I don’t taste anything when I cook it off. Otherwise this is a wonderful recipe and I have used for my ramen soup and made pork belly sandwiches in the puffy bread. Thank you.
Glad you’re enjoying the recipe! The salt and sugar do work as a dry rub to flavor the pork belly and also help it caramelize in the oven. 🙂
I lucked into a 1.25 lb slab of pork belly from my local butcher and followed this recipe with great success! It was my first time cooking pork belly and this was a great jumping off point. I made this last night to use in bahn mi style rice bowls (with cucumber, cilantro, mint, red pepper, and carrots). It received rave reviews from my spouse and we were both eager to devour the leftovers today. I did forget that you specify an overnight rest in the fridge, so I compensated by letting the rub sink in for an hour and a half at room temp before roasting. I also added 1 tsp of five spice blend to the rub. This will be my go-to for any future pork belly!
Sounds like a fantastic meal, Amanda! So glad you enjoyed the pork belly and love your twist of adding 5 spice blend! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
Hi! I just want to comment that when you buy the pork belly, be sure to request one large strip that = 1 lb. We brought home two strips that together equalled 1 lb and they cooked too fast with this recipe. My fault but thought I should let other users know! The flavor was great however and I’m going to get a new cut and try again. Thanks!
Hi Betsy! Thanks for the helpful tip! Glad you enjoyed the flavor… 😉
Is there a particular reason why you chill before you slice and serve? I make the momofuku pork buns and chill it for that recipe so it slices easier. But if I was roasting this to serve immediately would I really need to? I would probably cut a one pound chunk in half after cooking, and eat it like a pork chop. A deliciously devine pork chop. I cook belly a thousand ways, but was just curious about why to chill for this preparation.
Hi there, Chris. We’ve definitely eaten it right away as well – so melt in your mouth delicious! The purpose of wrapping and chilling is to make the pork belly easier to slice and crisp up in a pan for things like pork belly sandwiches and pork belly ramen.
Hi Marissa. First time making pork belly. I was just about to start cooking this recipe when I realized that the pork belly I bought had the skin on. Is there a way I can still make this with the skin on, or do I need to remove it or just buy another pound of it with the skin off. Thanks in advance!
Hi Edward – I haven’t made this recipe with skin-on pork belly, so I don’t want to give you bad advice about cooking it. If it were in my kitchen, I’d carefully remove the skin before following the recipe. Let me know how it goes! 🙂
I’ve made this recipe with skin-on pork belly. It was delicious, but was soaking in pork fat at the end of baking in the oven. If you use skin-on, just make sure you remove it from the pan immediately after taking it out of the oven, otherwise it’ll absorb all the fat. Pat it dry with a paper towel, then finish it as instructed in the recipe.
Thanks so much for the tips, Rich!
Hi Marissa, I made this recently and it was very good! I was just rereading as want to make it again and realise that your recipe says skinless – I made mine skin on and the crackling was amazing, so now a bit nervous of changing it. I came on here to ask if you score the skin (which I did) – have you made it with skin on? Can’t imagine that skin off would make it nearly as crispy (and making it for a dinner party so stuck with what to do! Maybe I’ll do one of each and enjoy the left overs….).
Hi Wendy! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the recipe and that the cracklings were so good! I say stick with what works! And if you ever try it with skinless, I bet you’ll enjoy it too.
Hi All, I’ve made this pork belly with the skin on and it turned out amazing. I didn’t score the pork belly, but I did poke it with a fork all down it’s length and then gave a light sprinkling of kosher salt on top, but leave all the other spices for the sides only. Turns out very crispy and delicious. When making for a party, I cut into 1/2 slices and serve right away. They’re always a hit on their own.
Thanks so much, Justin!
HI Marissa,
I just found this recipe, I’m trying to make a dish with this in it.
I did have a few questions. firstly would I have to cook this one at a time, or if was I making this for a party would I be able to make two as long as I space them out?
Would I be able to roast some mushrooms and garlic with underneath, or on the sides??
I’m thinking about loading them up in like a bread bowl type deal, and shredding some cheese on top.
Hi James. 🙂 Yes, you can make more than one, but do give each one its own space to brown. You’ll want to cook these at least several hours before you plan to use them – wrap them up tight and refrigerate until chilled through. Once you cut them in to slices and crisp them up in a pan, you can use them however you like.
I don’t recommend cooking the pork belly with other ingredients, like the mushrooms and garlic as it won’t allow the pork belly to get crispy, it would steam instead from the liquid of the other ingredients.
Hope that helps. Enjoy!
Sorry, it took so long for me to get back to you. So I did as you said and I cooked the veggies in the leftover juices instead and cooked them in like a walnut liqueur, and poured everything in a bread bowl and covered it with a cheese sauce. it came out delicious!!! I cooked another this past week and omg it came out amazingly!!! thank you so much for your reply
do you roast uncovered?
Hi, Lyle. Yes, I cook it uncovered. 🙂
Hey Marissa, cooking Pork Belly for the first time and found your recipe. I am in Jamaica so I have added a little dry rub and a toops of mushroom soy sauce to spice things up a bit. Will let you know how it turns out. Thanks. Brian
I’m trying this tonight! No oil or anything on the pan you put it on?
Fantastic! No need for oil in the pan… 🙂 Would love to hear how it goes.
Thanks for the recipe! I needed a little more help and details on the proper technique. I had been improvising with mixed results. Although I used 3 pounds sliced into 7 pieces it worked beautifully. I also added a little ground fennel, dry mustard and house BBQ spice rub.
That’s fantastic, Drew! So kind of you to come back and let me know. 🙂
Great technique! I was looking for ways to tweak my cooking method and yours was perfection.
Thought I’d add: If you’re looking for more of an asian twist, I like to incorporate a salpicao-esque marinade. I recommend using a combo of soy sauce (1/4 cup), Worcestershire sauce (However much you’d like to match the soy sauce but I like a good bit), two or three bay leaves, and red pepper flakes).
And if you like vinegar, I like to make a mixture of white and rice wine vinegar in a bottle, throw in slices of jalapeno and a couple garlic cloves for a spicy dipping sauce. Goes great with rice.