Pork Belly Food

PORK BELLY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180°C.
• Shallowly cut pork skin diagonally 1" apart.
• Combine oil & salt. Rub into pork skin & between the cuts.
• Combine water, stock, soy sauce, wine, sugar, garlic, cinnamon,, chili flakes, OJ, cloves, fennel seeds in a large, shallow baking dish.
• Place pork intp the pan on the above mixture.
• Roast for 1 hour & 20 minutes.
• Increase heat to very high & cook until crackling is crisp. (Or remove from oven, remove skin, put on a rack under a high grill until crackling is crisp). Keep pork warm.
• Strain liquid from the baking pan into a saucepan, skim off any surface fat, bring to boil then add plum wedges. Reduce heat & simmer for 15 minutes until thickened.
• Serve with rice & steamed Asian greens.

PERFECT PORK BELLY

Steps:

• Leave the pork uncovered in the fridge overnight to dry out the skin.
• Preheat the oven to full whack (240°C/475°F/gas 9).
• Carefully score the pork skin with a sharp knife or scalpel.
• Place the bay leaves in a pestle and mortar with the sea salt and give it a good bashing. Add the coriander seeds, fennel seeds and peppercorns, then bash again until fine.
• Rub 2 tablespoons of the flavoured salt all over the pork, massaging it into all the nooks and crannies, saving the rest for another day. Brush away any excess.
• Clank up the onions into wedges and arrange them skin-side up in rows. Lay the pork directly over the onions, then roast for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the crackling is golden and super crunchy.
• Meanwhile, prepare the veg. Scrub the carrots and potatoes, trim the celery and fennel, then clank up into 2½cm chunks and place on a large baking tray. Pick over the rosemary leaves, then break up the garlic bulb and scatter over the cloves, leaving the skin on. Season with salt and pepper, then give it a good mix.
• Remove the pork from the oven and reduce the temperature to 150°C/300°F/gas 2.
• Using tongs, carefully lift the pork off the onions and place it directly on the top bars of the oven. Position the tray of veg exactly underneath to catch the tasty juices. Cook the pork for a further 2 to 4 hours - after 2 hours, the meat will be soft and easy to carve, after 4 hours, the meat will be soft enough to 'pull'. Toss the veg occasionally, turning to coat in the pork juices until caramelised and cooked to your liking, then remove. (Pop an empty tray under the pork to prevent the juices from making a mess in your oven.)
• To make the gravy, carefully drain the fat from the onions and reserve for another day. Place the tray on the hob over a medium heat, then pour in the cider and let it bubble away for a few minutes, scraping up all the sticky goodness from the base of the tray.
• Gradually stir in the flour, then pour in 1.5 litres of boiling water and stir on the heat for 15 minutes, or until thickened and reduced.
• When it's time to dish up, arrange the veg on a serving platter with the pork and strain the gravy into a jug. Carve or pull the pork and plate it up with a little bit of everything. Delicious served with a simple watercress and apple salad, and a dollop of English mustard.

THREE-HOUR PORK BELLY

Steps:

• Toast 2 tbsp fennel seeds and 1 tsp black peppercorns in a dry frying pan for a couple of mins. Pound them together in a pestle and mortar with some flaked sea salt, the leaves from 1 small bunch of thyme and 3 garlic cloves to make a paste.
• Mix with 2 tbsp olive oil and rub all over the flesh of a 1½ - 2kg piece of boneless pork belly. Cover and chill, leaving to marinate for a few hours or overnight.
• When ready to cook, rub the skin of the joint with plenty of salt and 1 tbsp more olive oil. Sit on a wire rack in a roasting tin and roast at 200C/180C fan/gas 6 for 30 mins.
• After this time, squeeze 2 lemons over the skin and turn the heat down to 180C/ 160C fan/gas 4. Roast for a further 2 hrs.
• Finally, turn the heat back up to 220C/ 200C fan/gas 7 and give it a final blast for another 30 mins or so, to finish the crackling.
• Allow to rest somewhere warm for 20 mins. Carve up into chunks or slices and serve with the braised cabbage (below) and bay-infused potatoes (see 'goes well with').

CRISPY SLOW-ROASTED PORK BELLY

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Heat the oven to 350 F/180 C. Place a rack (such as a cooling rack ) on a rimmed baking sheet. With a sharp knife, make several parallel cuts across the skin of the pork belly, 1/4 to 1/2-inch apart. Cut through the skin and fat but not into the meat.
• Sprinkle the pork all over with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and rub it all into the pork.
• Place the pork on the rack, skin-side up.
• Roast for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until the meat is very tender and falling apart. Increase the heat to 425 F and roast for 20 to 25 minutes longer to crisp the skin even more.
• Remove the pork from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Slice thinly, using the cuts in the skin as guides.

21 BEST WAYS TO COOK PORK BELLY

Steps:

• Select your favorite recipe.
• Organize all the required ingredients.
• Prep a pork belly recipe in 30 minutes or less!

AIR FRYER PORK BELLY

Steps:

• Score the rind of the pork belly with a sharp knife. Ensure you do not cut through to the meat.
• Rub 1 teaspoon of salt into the skin, ensuring it goes into the scores. Set aside for ten minutes.
• Mix 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 teaspoons of salt on a plate.
• Preheat air fryer to 320°F (160°C).
• Blot the moisture from the surface of the pork belly, and then press it into the oil/salt mixture so that all sides are covered.
• Place pork belly in the air fryer basket skin-side up, and air fry at 320°F/160°C for 30 minutes.
• When the time is up, turn the temperature up to 390°F/ 195°C, and air fry pork belly for an additional 5-10 minutes. Check it after 5 minutes to see whether the crackling is done to your liking and prevent burning.
• Remove from the air fryer and leave to rest for 5 minutes to allow the juices to reabsorb.
• Once rested, use a sharp knife to slice the pork belly skin-side down on a cutting board.

PORK BELLY

Steps:

• Combine the salt and sugar and completely cover the pork belly with the mixture. Refrigerate for 20 to 24 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Rinse the salt and sugar off the pork and transfer to a large pan. Add the carrots, celery, onions and garlic and cover with water. Cover the pan with foil or a tight-fitting lid and transfer to the oven until the pork is very tender, 13 to 15 hours.
• Gently remove the pork, place in between 2 pans and refrigerate for 12 hours.
• Cut the pork into 6-ounce portions and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a saute pan and saute the pork skin-side down until crisp and hot.

SLOW-ROASTED CRISPY PORK BELLY

Steps:

• Dry skin overnight: Place pork belly on a plate. Pat skin dry with paper towels. Leave uncovered in fridge overnight to dry out the skin. (If you don't have time, pat the skin dry as best you can).
• Preheat oven to 140°C/285°F (120°C fan).
• Season flesh: Drizzle flesh (only) with 1 tsp oil. Sprinkle over 1/2 tsp salt, the pepper and fennel powder. Rub all over the flesh, including on the sides, being sure you get right into all the cracks and crevices.
• Wrap in foil: Place 2 pieces of foil on a work surface. Put the belly in middle of foil, skin side up. Fold the sides in to enclose the belly, forming an open box, pinching corners to seal tightly and make it as snug as possible. Place meat on a tray.
• Season skin: Pat skin dry with paper towels. Rub with 1/2 tsp oil then sprinkle remaining 1/2 tsp salt evenly all over the skin surface, from edge to edge.
• Slow roast 2 1/2 hours: Place in the oven and roast for 2 1/2 hours. After 1 1/2 hours, remove and tighten the foil (pork will have shrunk), and continue cooking. This keeps the pork fat level up as high as possible, and the flesh protected so it stays moist.
• Increase heat: Remove pork from oven, then increase heat to 240°C/465°F (all oven types).
• Level pork: Remove pork from foil and place on a rack set over a tray (using rack is best, but optional). Use scrunched up balls of foil stuffed under pork to prop up so the skin surface is as level and horizontal as possible (see photos in post).
• 30 minutes on high heat! Place the pork back in the oven for 30 minutes, rotating after 15 minutes as needed, until the crackling is deep golden, puffy and crispy all over. If some patches are browning faster, protect with foil patches.
• Rest 10 minutes: Remove pork from oven. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
• Serving: Slice into 2cm / ⅘"-thick slices using a serrated knife. Pictured in post with Apple Sauce and Vermouth Jus, with a side of Cauliflower Puree (Note 2)! See directions in post for how to plate it up as pictured (fine dining style!), as well as a list of more sauce options.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH PORK BELLY: 13 SAVORY SIDE DISHES

Steps:

• Select your favorite recipe.
• Organize all the required ingredients.
• Prep a delicious dinner the whole family will love!

CHINESE CURED PORK BELLY

Steps:

• Remove the boneless cut pork belly from the package. It is best to choose half fat and half meat. (This is 4.26 pounds and has 10 pieces. You can get 3-4 pounds of pork belly.)
• Put the pork belly into the plastic ziplock bag. (I prefer to use a ziplock bag to marinate because it's easier and less messy.)
• Pour ¼ cup of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of salt, ¼ cup of sugar, ¼ cup of cooking rice wine, ¼ teaspoon of five spices, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and 1 slice of grind ginger into a bowl. Then, mix it well.
• After that, pour the marinade sauce from step 3 into the bag of pork belly. Then, zip and tighten the bag. Massage the bag of meat and make sure the sauce covers each pork belly. Let the pork belly marinade in the refrigerator for at least a full day (24 hours). Marinated for 1-2 days is ok. Remember to lay the marinated pork belly bag flat in the refrigerator (12 hours) and flip the other side at night before going to sleep (12 hours).
• Cut 10 of the 36 inches long strings. (Because I have 10 pieces of pork belly.) Then, thread a string through the needle and tie the end.
• Next, take a piece of marinated pork belly and thread through the meat part a couple times to secure the meat. Cut the needle out and tie the string. See the video below the recipe card for detail.
• Repeat steps 5-6 until the marinated pork belly is tied with a string.
• After, put the safety pins through the strings. (You can use any hooks that help hanging is ok.)
• The following, hang the marinated pork belly outside in the early morning until dark at night. Then, I put them back in the refrigerator cover with a plastic wrap. I repeat this process for 7 days on average depending on the weather and area. (The first day hanging the marinated pork belly out, I usually put a plastic cover under the meat because it prevents the liquid from dripping on the floor.)
• These Chinese bacon are hanging outside 2-3 days on a mostly sunny day, humidity was around 56%-76% and wind was around 5-9 mph.
• On days 4-5, hanging the lap yuk outside. (On a sunny day, humidity was around 51%-69% and wind was around 4-7 mph.) You can see a layer of oil shiny on the meat. It's a good indicator that the bacon is almost done.
• Chinese cured pork belly, lap yuk, is ready after hanging outside for 7 days.
• You can cut it into slices. (When the lap yuk is dried and cold, it is hard to cut.)
• Therefore, a lot of people like to wash the lap yuk with warm or hot water. Then, put lap yuk on a plate and steam it for 10 minutes. (After the water is boiling, put the lap yuk in and account for 10 minutes.)
• After steaming lap yuk for 10 minutes, it is softer.
• And, steamed lap yuk is easier to cut. The taste is even better.

CRISPY PORK BELLY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).
• Season pork belly all over with smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Wrap pork in parchment paper; wrap a second time in aluminum foil, and a third time in another sheet of aluminum foil. Place pork packet in a baking dish.
• Roast in the preheated oven until tender for 6 hours. Let cool in wrappings to room temperature; place cooled packet in refrigerator and chill for 8 hours or overnight.
• Unwrap chilled meat. Save any rendered fat that falls away when unwrapping pork.
• Cut meat into 6 equal-size portions. Cut 1/8-inch by 1/8-inch slashes in the fat-side of the pork. Season with salt.
• Heat 2 tablespoons reserved pork fat in a skillet over medium heat. Place pork belly, fat side down, in hot fat; cook until well-browned on all sides and heated through, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer pork belly to a plate, drizzle with olive oil and season with pepper.

CRISPY PORK BELLY

Steps:

• For the pork belly: Line a baking sheet with foil and fit with a wire rack.
• Mix together the olive oil, thyme, mustard powder, coriander, red pepper flakes, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and a generous amount of pepper in a small bowl until combined. Mix the baking powder with 2 teaspoons salt in a separate small bowl.
• Pat the skin of the pork belly completely dry. Use a sharp skewer, fork or paring knife to poke lots of holes all over the skin, making sure not to hit the meat. This will help the skin crisp up. Flip the pork over and rub the spice mixture all over the meat (not the skin). Transfer to the prepared baking sheet skin-side up. Sprinkle half of the baking powder mixture over the skin. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Wipe off the baking powder mixture from the pork with a paper towel. Pat the skin completely dry and sprinkle with the remaining baking powder mixture.
• Bake until the pork is cooked through and tender, about 2 hours. Raise the temperature to 500 degrees F and continue cooking until the skin is golden brown, bubbling and crispy, about 20 minutes more. Let rest for 10 minutes.
• For the sauce: Meanwhile, whisk together the cilantro, olive oil, honey, scallions, garlic, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a medium bowl.
• Slice the pork belly into 1/2-inch-thick slices and transfer to a serving platter. Spoon the sauce down the middle before serving.