Pork Belly Recipe Ideas
September 18, 2014 12:42 AM   Subscribe

I have a magnificent piece of pork belly- about 2 lb/ 900g of succulent swine flesh... and I'm looking for some inspiration on what wondrous meal I should create with it!

I'm pretty handy in the kitchen, and not at all averse to experimentation and complicated recipes that will take a while to put together. I've never before cooked with pork belly- so I'd love some suggestions on what to do with it... and any general tips on cooking with this most supremely indulgent of meats!
posted by Philby to Food & Drink (12 answers total) 24 users marked this as a favorite
 
Roast it incredibly slowly so the fat is all melted.

Remove the crackling and finish on high heat if necessary.

Pull meat to bits, chop crackling in bits.

Make a bbq type sauce from tamarind paste and brown sugar and fish sauce.

Use some of the rendered fat to make egg fried rice. Mix with the meat and sauce. Put the crackling on top. Scoff.

Don't do this very often or with heart patients.
posted by emilyw at 1:07 AM on September 18, 2014 [3 favorites]


This recipe makes the most delicious roast pork belly I've ever tasted. And I've eaten a lot of roast pork belly.
posted by A Thousand Baited Hooks at 2:40 AM on September 18, 2014 [4 favorites]


Buta kakuni.
posted by Tanizaki at 4:00 AM on September 18, 2014 [1 favorite]


Cider braised.
posted by maryrussell at 4:12 AM on September 18, 2014 [1 favorite]


I'm a fan of this one. I use balsamic vinegar instead of the red wine vinegar. It's got lots of interesting flavors, and the roasting instructions always yield an excellent piece of meat (and don't try to hurry things along by cooking faster at a higher temp... trust me, it renders the meat nearly inedible :( :( )
posted by olinerd at 4:22 AM on September 18, 2014 [1 favorite]


Pork belly adobo.
posted by slkinsey at 5:16 AM on September 18, 2014 [1 favorite]


Chinese Crispy Pork Belly
posted by catastropher at 8:35 AM on September 18, 2014


Two more suggestions from the Chinese cooking world: twice-cooked pork and soy-braised pork.

Twice-cooked pork
Twice-cooked pork is an amazingly delicious Sichuan dish that involves boiling the pork belly, letting it cool, slicing into very thin slices, and then frying in a savory spicy sauce. Fuchsia Dunlop's version is my favorite -- I usually add sliced red and green bell peppers in addition to/instead of the leek for a bit more vegetable addition and crunch.

Soy-braised pork
I just sent this recipe to a friend; I make soy-braised pork fairly often in the winter and it is super easy once you collect the ingredients and makes your house smell wonderful on cool fall/winter afternoons:

Ingredients
3 lb pork belly (you can also use pork shoulder in future, which is less fatty but just as good)
Optional: 8 peeled hard-boiled eggs, fried tofu puffs
Five spice powder
2 scallions, white only
1 inch ginger

Braising liquid:
1 cup of light soy sauce
0.5 cup of dark soy sauce
3-4 cups water
0.5 cup sugar
1 cup Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
2 star anise
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorn
2-3 cinnamon sticks
3 garlic cloves

Plain cooking oil

Ingredients
In a large pot, combine all the braising liquid ingredients and heat. Cut the pork into large chunks and dust with five-spice powder, just enough to coat lightly. Slice the ginger into thin slices (no need to peel) and smash the scallion whites.

In a large wok or frying pan on high heat, sizzle the ginger and scallion whites in oil until they are fragrant, probably 20-30 seconds. Then stir-fry the large chunks of pork for several minutes until they are lightly browned on the outside.

Place the chunks of pork into the braising liquid and bring to a boil. Once it boils, bring it down to very low heat and simmer covered for at least 2 hours, preferably 3 hours. If using, eggs can be added immediately after it is brought to a simmer; I would only add the tofu in the last 30-40 minutes or so of braising. If needed, top off with water through cooking.
posted by andrewesque at 8:42 AM on September 18, 2014


Pork Buns all. day. long.

You don't have to make the buns from scratch; you should be able to find them at your local asian market, in the frozen section. These things are like little asian white castle burgers. It's amazing. The prep for the pork is probably the best i've ever had. The pork basically bastes itself, so you don't really need to do much more than flip it over a couple times while you're roasting it. It's so goddamn good.

If you have leftovers of that preperation, you can make a might find cuban sandwich with cold slices of it. Or you can re-crisp it in a stir fry. Or make an awesome hash out of it the next morning. or throw slices in some soup with noodles with a poached egg on top. OH GOD I'M SO HUNGRY NOW.

Basically when we make pork belly like that, it finds its way into every dish we make all week long.
posted by furnace.heart at 8:44 AM on September 18, 2014


I love pork belly coated in Indian mixed masala spices and roasted. Then, let the belly cool and slice it and then pan fry the pieces to get the edges crisp. Serve with mint and cilantro chutney. Reserve the fabulous rendered and aromatic fat to fry anything you want to be absolutely delicious.
posted by quince at 10:43 AM on September 18, 2014


Korean Grilled Pork Belly - Samgyeopsal-gui 삼겹살구이. One of my favorite slow eating, sitting around drinking, and talking with friends meals ever. With a little Soju and table top cooker with grill plate you'll be loving life.
posted by white_devil at 11:14 AM on September 18, 2014 [1 favorite]


Just heard a recipe using this very item on NPR today.... Shanghainese Red Braised Pork Belly.
posted by ruhroh at 7:22 PM on September 18, 2014


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