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Crispy Pork Belly

Date:
Jan. 13, 2025, 4:47 p.m.

Topics:
pork

Serves 8-10 | 4-4½ hours, plus 12 hours brining For tender, flavorful pork belly with a crisp crown of skin, we started by scoring the skin and rubbing it with salt. To help tenderize and season the meat, we rubbed it with a mixture of salt and brown sugar. We then air-dried the belly overnight in the refrigerator to start to dry the skin. Roasting the pork belly low and slow (instead of using the traditional high roasting temperatures) helped further dry the skin and turn tough collagen to gelatin while keeping the meat juicy. Finally, we fry the skin, which causes it to dramatically puff up and crisp. A few quick, bracing sauces balanced the richness of the belly for an impressive holiday or party centerpiece. Before You Begin This recipe requires seasoning and refrigerating the pork belly for at least 12 hours before cooking. Be sure to ask for a flat, rectangular center-cut section of skin-on pork belly that’s 1½" thick with roughly equal amounts of meat and fat. Serve the meat in small portions with our Spicy Mustard Sauce, Sweet and Sour Chile Sauce, or Tangy Hoisin Sauce, plus white rice and steamed greens or boiled potatoes and salad. Serve with Tangy Hoisin Sauce, Spicy Mustard Sauce, Sweet and Sour Chile Sauce

Ingredients

  • 3 lb pork belly, skin-on, center-cut, about 1½" thick
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 Tb packed dark brown sugar
  • Vegetable oil

Instructions

Step 1
  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350F.
  2. Using sharp chef’s knife, slice pork belly lengthwise into 3 strips about 2" wide, then make ¼"-deep crosswise cuts through skin and into fat spaced ½" apart.
  3. Combine 2 Tb salt and brown sugar in small bowl
  4. Rub salt mixture into bottom and sides of pork belly (do not rub into skin)
  5. Season skin of each strip evenly with ½ tsp salt.
  6. Place pork belly, skin side up, in 13 by 9" baking dish and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 12 hours or up to 24 hours.
Step 2
  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 250F
  2. Transfer pork belly, skin side up, to lightly greased wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet.
  3. Roast pork belly until meat registers 195F and paring knife inserted in meat meets little resistance, 3-3½ hours, rotating sheet halfway through roasting.
  4. Transfer pork belly, skin side up, to large plate. (Pork belly can be held at room temperature for up to 1 hour.)
  5. Pour fat from sheet into 1-C liquid measuring C
  6. Add vegetable oil as needed to equal 1 C and transfer to 12" skillet.
  7. Arrange pork belly, skin side down, in skillet (strips can be sliced in half crosswise if skillet won’t fit strips whole) and place over medium heat until bubbles form around pork belly
  8. Continue to fry, tilting skillet occasionally to even out hot spots, until skin puffs, crisps, and turns golden, 6-10 minutes.
  9. Transfer pork belly, skin side up, to carving board and let rest for 5 minutes
  10. Flip pork belly on its side and slice ½" thick (being sure to slice through original score marks). Reinvert slices and serve.