For the longest time I have been wanting to cook a recipe that involved pork belly. The problem was that I could not find it in any of my local markets. Finally last weekend while shopping for some beef at my new favorite market, I stopped dead in my tracks! Pork Belly!!! A three pound pack for only 6 bucks…What?? I was so excited I forgot all about the beef! LOl!!
If you are not too into the whole crispy skin idea on the pork belly, you could just follow the recipe below, keep scrolling down past the first recipe. The five spice seasoning is optional, but it added a nice flavor!
So the first thing I do is call on the help of my good friend and diehard foodie Alan Choat. Thanks to facebook and a food group that we both belong to, we met and became instant friends. As far as I am concerned, Alan knows everything when it comes to cooking pork. He suggested the Asian inspired spices and an easy cooking method. It was to die for! Of course the first thing I thought of was tacos, pork tacos. So delicious! Check out the next post below for Carniceria Style Chicharron en Salsa Roja.
Roast Pork Belly With Crunchy Skin!
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 to 2 pounds pork belly
- Kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
Instructions
Directions
- Remove pork belly from packaging and place onto cutting board. Score the skin of the pork belly as shown in picture. Line a baking sheet with foil paper and top with a wire rack. Set aside. Season the under side of pork with kosher salt. Season the skin side with salt and pepper. Place onto wire rack and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Roast pork belly at this high temperature for 25-30 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees and continue roasting for 2 hours or until the skin is crispy and golden brown. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before slicing.
Garnished with Chile de Arbol, Salsa de Mesa, radishes, cilantro, onion and lime.
Follow the Salsa de Mesa Recipe on the link. I doubled up on the chile de arbol for the recipe above.!!
https://pinaenlacocina.com/me-pico-la-salsa-salsa-basics/
Keep scrolling down until you get to the Chicharrones en Salsa!
This was the first time I prepared pork belly. The skin was not as crispy, but I was still learning. It was delicious though!
Roasted Pork Belly- Recipe 1
Ingredients
* This recipe requires overnight marinating
For Pork Belly
1 1/2-2 pounds pork belly
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon Chinese five spice, optional
2 tablespoons soy sauce
For Salsa
6 serrano peppers
2 pickled jalapeños, diced
1 small red onion, sliced into thin strips (1/2 cup)
1 clove garlic
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
Salt to taste
You will also need
1/3 cup sriracha hot sauce
8 to 10 corn tortillas
Cilantro for garnish
Directions
1. Combine the sea salt and Chinese five spice in a small bowl. Season the pork belly on both sides, add the soy sauce and rub in to season all over. Place the pork belly on a plate and refrigerate overnight uncovered.
2. Remove pork belly from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Place the pork , skin side up on a wire rack, lined with a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 500 degrees, lower temperature to 325 degrees and roast for another 90 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before slicing.
3. While the pork is cooking, prepare the salsa. Combine all of the ingredients in the order listed. Stir well to combine, season with salt to taste. Cover and set aside.
4. Preheat a large skillet to medium heat for 5 minutes. Slice the pork into 1/2 inch thick slices or thinner if you’d like. Add to hot pan and cook until pork starts to brown nicely. Toss with sriracha hot sauce and cook just until warm. Serve with warm corn tortillas and salsa. Garnish with cilantro. Yields 4 servings.
Tips~ The only real tip I can offer is to double the recipe and freeze half of the pork belly for later! It’s that good, lol!!
Crunchy Skin Roast Pork Belly! See first recipe above!
Carniceria-Style Chicharron en Salsa Roja. Once you learn to cook your own pork belly, you can freeze it and use it in countless recipes. And when I prepared my pork belly recipe from above, I knew I would be making my own Carniceria Style Chicharrones en Salsa!
Chicharrones en Salsa
Ingredients
1 pound cooked pork belly, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1/3 cup onions, diced
2 serranos, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
Splash of water
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. In a cast iron pan on medium/low heat, add the sliced pork belly. Cook for 20- 30 minutes or until the fat starts to render out and the pork becomes crispy in most spots. If it’s too dry, you can add a tablespoon of oil. A faster version would be to deep fry them, but I prefer this method.
2. While the pork is cooking, add the tomatoes to the blender, along with a splash of water. Blend until smooth, set aside.
3. Add the onions, serrano and garlic to the pork and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce from blender, mix well, lower heat and cook until it becomes thick and reduces. Taste for salt. Serve right away with beans, warm tortillas and avocado slices. Yields 4 servings.
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Hi! Did you use skinless or skin on pork belly? I assume skinless for this as it would go chewy after being tossed in sauce right? And was wondering instead of tossing it in sriacha I wonder what it would taste like if I made a sauce similar to that of say an… adobada? Thoughts? This looks SO yummy been wanting to do a pork belly taco for ages! Thanks! ????
Aubrie, the pork belly has the skin on. If you fry it afterwards, the skins gets crispy, so the short time they are in the sauce doesn’t really affect it that much. I have a blog post about chicharrones prepared with pork belly. Any adobo or sauce prepared with dried chiles would work well.
I cook meals for my elderly parents that they can simply reheat. Does this freeze well?
To be honest Margarita, I think pork belly is best enjoyed when freshly cooked. The fatty skin layer on top doesn’t stay crispy if frozen.
Can skinless pork belly be used in these recipes? I accidentally bought 3 lbs of skinless pork belly. I was so disappointed when I discovered my mistake.
Thanks!
Laura
Hi Laura, You can certainly use the skinless pork belly, you just won’t have the crispy chicharron from the skin. Still delicious!