How to Cook Oven Roasted Crispy Pork Belly - Pinch and Swirl (2024)

You need just 4 everyday ingredients to make Pork Belly that’s crispy on the outside, juicy and flavorful inside, and oh so versatile.

If you’ve had poorly cooked pork belly – chewy or otherwise unpleasant, you know that technique is important. We looked at several recipes and settled on the master recipe fromMomof*cku, which David Chang was kind enough to share at Lucky Peach. We expectedthat he probably knew what he was talking about. What we didn’t expect was how ridiculously simple the recipe would be!

Ingredients You Need 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 Pork Belly vs. Skin On Pork Belly

This easy recipe works beautifully for both skinless and skin-on pork belly! The only difference is that you’ll need to score the skin with the skin-on variety before roasting to get that perfectly golden brown and crisp crackling (crispy pork 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.

Side Pork vs. Pork Belly

Pork belly and side pork are the same thing. A pig’s belly wraps around the sides, thus how the two terms came to be synonymous. If you ask for side pork or pork belly from your butcher, you will get the same exact cut of meat.

A few important tips before you begin:

There are some things to keep in mind when making this recipe to be sure that it comes out perfectly every time.

First, 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 stint 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.

Second, when you’re 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 (larger cuts will work, but will increase the cooking time). If you have thin areas, they are likely to burn during the first 30 minutes of roasting at 450˚F.

Third, for the best pork belly, I recommended that you cook and then wrap and chill it overnight before slicing (don’t worry, the skin-on version with still have crispy skin). This has two benefits: it’s much easier to slice and stays together beautifully when crisping up in a pan. That said, we almost always have a sample or two when it’s fresh out of the oven because it smells irresistible and tastes amazing!

Finally, 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).

How to Cook Pork Belly: Skin-On or Skinless

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.

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.

3. The next day roast ina 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.

4.Once chilled, slice into thick pieces and brown until crispy to enjoy alone or in a variety of recipes from salads to soups to sandwiches and more!

How to Serve

Pan crisped slices are perfect for Pork Belly Ramen, Pork Belly Sandwiches or Sliders, and Pork Belly Tacos. Or use it in place of bacon in Wedge Salad, or Spinach Salad. Hungry yet?

Recipe Video

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