Oven Roasted Crispy Pork Belly

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

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.

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!