Slow-Roasted Crispy Pork Belly
Recipe video above. This is a pork belly that's slow-roasted so the fat renders and cooks the belly confit-style in its own fat. The result? Ridiculously juicy, impossibly tender yet still-sliceable meat, crowned with the most amazing crispy crackling of your life. It comes down to three simple, game-changing techniques: 1. Do NOT score the skin; 2. Low heat followed by high heat; 3. Keep the pork level using balls of foil.Perfect meat, perfect crackling ... Every. Single. Time! (Read the post for all the details on how to do it right!)Bonus: Excellent for make ahead, reheats 99% perfectly the next day. See notes.
Servings: 4 - 5 people
Calories: 1313cal
Ingredients
- 1kg / 2 lb pork belly with skin on , NOT SCORED. Look for 3 - 3.5cm / 1.2 - 1.6" thick, even thickness with flat, unwrinkled skin, preferably not vac-packed (Note 1)
- 1 1/2 tsp olive oil , divided
- 1/2 tsp fennel powder / ground fennel seeds , optional, Note 3
- 1 tsp salt , cooking/kosher salt (or 7/8 tsp table salt), divided
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
For serving (as pictured in post):
- Apple Sauce
- Vermouth Jus
- Cauliflower Puree , (Note 2)
- See in post for more Sauce options
Instructions
- 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. ⚠️ Open oven with care as it will be smokey - open your windows!
- 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.
Notes
1. Pork Belly selection tips:
a) Best to get one not vacuum packed. Vac-packed = skin soaking in juices. You can still get great crackling with this recipe (I'm confident as have done so many times) but if yours is vac-packed, I really recommend doing the overnight drying uncovered in the fridge, or as long as you can (insurance policy).
b) Flat piece with skin that is not wrinkly crackles best (wrinkly skin = imperfect crackling because heat can't get to it as well).
c) NOT SCORED - You don't need it for perfect crackling. And risk of dodgy scoring by junior butchers is too high! Even the tiniest pin prick into flesh will cause meat juices to bubble up onto the skin and you'll end up with rubbery patches. I am not exaggerating.
See in post for further information on what to look for when purchasing your pork belly.
2. Cauliflower Puree pictured in post is my Cauliflower Mash recipe. Pea Puree (side / sauce!) is also a stunner. If you use a rich buttery Mashed Potato, you won't need much. Belly is rich!
3. Fennel powder - Ground fennel seeds. Fennel is a classic pairing with pork, and I love it, but it's not critical for the recipe. Grind your own: Grind 1 tsp of lightly toasted fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder to yield 1/2 tsp fennel powder.
4. Roasting time for larger belly - 2.5kg/5lb took me 3 hours slow roasting (ie with foil). Smaller might take slightly less than 2 1/2 hours but not by much (there's a minimum time meat fibres need to break down).
5. Storage and reheating - Leftover pork belly keeps and reheats well. Keep for up to 3 - 5 days. To reheat, it's recommended you separate the crackling. Reheat meat in microwave, and crackling in a hot oven to retain crispiness. You can also slice and pan fry, or eat at room temperature on sandwiches or salads.
Make-ahead whole - Reheats 99% perfectly. Save all the juices/fat when you remove the foil boat. Pour into jug so fat rises to top (white/murky, the juices are brown and settle to base). Once belly is cooked (crackling and all), wrap meat with foil again (ie foil boat) but leave crackling exposed. Pour about 1/4 cup fat into the foil boat (confit style protection!). Fully cool, then fridge overnight. Ensure it's 100% cool before covering (warm = sweaty crackling = softens = 😭). To reheat, remove from fridge 1 hour prior and uncover (important), leave to de-chill on counter. Reheat in the foil boat at 140°C fan (160°C/325°F standard) for 20 - 30 minutes or until meat is warmed through and tender. You're welcome!
6. Nutrition information - The calculation assumes all fat including discarded rendered out fat is counted. Real calorie values are lower! But this is not a diet food, to be sure 😉
Nutrition
Calories: 1313cal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 135g | Saturated Fat: 49g | Cholesterol: 180mg | Sodium: 661mg | Potassium: 464mg | Fiber: 1g | Vitamin A: 26IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg