Love to eat pork belly but don't know how to prepare it yourself at home? If all this time you always buy it at high prices in restaurants that serve a variety of Asian specialties, from now on try to make it yourself in your home kitchen! Indeed, pork belly is very fatty so it is often processed into bacon or smoked meat. However, if you don't like the taste and smell of bacon, you can also grill it, saute it, or cook it in a slow cooker. Don't forget to use low heat to grill or cook the meat in a slow cooker, and slice the meat thinly if you want to sauté it. For the full recipe, keep reading the article below!
Ingredients
Oven Baking Method
For: 6-8 servings
- 900 grams of pork belly
- 80 ml. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. sea salt or regular salt
- 1 tbsp. ground black pepper
Slow Cooking Method
For: 6-8 servings
- 900 grams of pork belly
- 2 tsp. sea salt or regular salt
- 2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 2 tsp. chili powder
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 60 ml. apple cider vinegar
- 250 grams of carrots, cut into cubes with a size of 5x5 cm.
- 250 grams of sweet potato, cut into cubes with a size of 5x5 cm.
Saute Method
For: 3-5 servings
- 450 grams of pork belly
- 2 tbsp. honey
- 2 tbsp. salty soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. Oyster sauce
- 1 tsp. chopped fresh garlic
Step
Method 1 of 3: Grilling Pork Belly
Step 1. Set the oven to 220°C
While waiting for the oven to heat up, place on a wire rack with a fairly high level.
- If you don't have such a wire rack, prepare a cake pan and line the bottom with several sheets of kneaded aluminum foil to make it thicker.
- Make sure the meat doesn't come into direct contact with the bottom of the pan so that the melted fat doesn't stick to the meat again and make it mushy.
Step 2. Cut the skin that sticks to the pork
Using a sharp knife, cut the surface of the skin in a chessboard pattern. First, draw parallel diagonal lines that are 5 cm apart each; after that, make another diagonal line from the opposite direction which is also 5 cm apart. to form a chessboard pattern.
- Make an incision deep enough to remove all layers of skin and fat, but not deep enough to touch the layer of flesh underneath.
- Cutting the skin needs to be done to facilitate the process of melting the fat when the meat is roasted.
Step 3. Brush the entire surface of the meat with oil, salt and pepper
Place the cutlets on the baking sheet with the skin facing up. Brush the surface of the skin with oil, then season the entire meat with salt and pepper.
- In addition to enriching the taste of the meat, salt and oil also serve to help the meat fat melt; As a result, the skin of your roast will be more crunchy when cooked.
- Use your hands to apply the oil and season the meat for a more even finish. Make sure you also sprinkle salt and pepper between the skin incisions.
- Remember, salt and pepper are two types of spices that will not burn even if exposed to high temperatures for a long time. If you decide to use other spices, add them 30 minutes before the meat is cooked.
Step 4. Bake the meat for 20-30 minutes
Place the seasoned meat in the oven, bake for 20-30 minutes or until the skin is crispy brown.
- The high-temperature roasting stage aims to make the surface of the meat crispy, not to ripen the meat. That's why meat can't be eaten after this stage.
- Do not wait until the surface of the meat is dark brown or completely dry. Remember, the baking process will resume once the oven temperature is lowered; Grilling the meat too long at this stage will only burn the surface even if the inside is not cooked through.
Step 5. Lower the oven temperature to 180°C without removing the meat from the oven
Continue roasting for 2-2½ hours or until the meat is fully cooked.
- Check the level of doneness of the meat in the middle of the grilling process. Meat fat exposed to too high a temperature can make the meat smoky. If this is the case, transfer the meat to another clean baking sheet before continuing with the grilling process.
- The internal temperature of the meat should reach 70°C before removing it from the oven.
Step 6. Leave it for 10-15 minutes
After removing from the oven, let the meat rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting into pieces.
You need to let the meat sit so that the juices are able to spread well throughout the meat fibers
Step 7. Serve the meat hot for maximum flavor
Ideally, a good quality roast pork will be crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside.
- If not finished in one meal, leftover meat can be placed in an airtight container and stored in the refrigerator.
- When it will be served, heat the meat on a skillet so that the texture is crispy again.
Method 2 of 3: Cooking Pork Belly in a Slow Cooking Pot
Step 1. Season the meat and let it sit overnight
Spread the seasoning in the form of salt, pepper, and chili powder evenly over the entire surface of the meat. After that, wrap the meat with plastic wrap, and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.
- Mix all the spices together in a small bowl before spreading them over the surface of the meat; This will allow the spices to spread better and more evenly.
- There's no need to let the meat sit overnight if you have limited time. Basically, letting the marinated meat sit overnight will make the meat more tender in texture and stronger in taste; but don't worry, the taste of the meat will still be delicious even though it is processed immediately after being seasoned.
Step 2. Cut the skin that sticks to the pork
Using a sharp knife, make a deep incision in a diagonal line parallel to the surface of the skin; After that, cut back the skin surface from the opposite direction to form intersecting lines (later, the surface of the pork skin will look like a chessboard filled with small squares).
Cutting the skin makes it easier for the meat fat to melt as it cooks. Make sure the incision you make is not too deep and touches the layer of flesh underneath
Step 3. Heat olive oil in a frying pan
Pour the olive oil into a large skillet and heat it over high heat.
Wait for 60 seconds or until the oil is really hot. Gently shake the pan so that the entire surface of the pan is coated with hot oil
Step 4. Fry the meat in a little oil
Place the cutlets in the hot oil, and fry each side for 60 seconds or until they are crisp and brown in color.
- Pinch the meat with tongs to fry the edges of the meat.
- The meat will not be too crunchy if it is cooked in a slow cooker. That's why you need to first fry the meat in a little oil in a frying pan before cooking it in a slow cooker.
Step 5. Put all the ingredients in a slow cooker
Sprinkle carrots and sweet potatoes until they fill the bottom of the pan. After that, place the pieces of meat on top and sprinkle all the ingredients with apple cider vinegar.
If you prefer, use other root vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, potatoes, or turnips
Step 6. Cook the meat on high heat for 4-5 hours
Cover the slow cooker and turn the setting to high. After that, don't touch the meat for about 4-5 hours or until the meat is completely cooked.
At the very least, make sure the internal temperature of the meat reaches 70°C when serving
Step 7. Serve the meat hot for maximum flavor
Turn off the heat and let the meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing it. The texture of the meat should be very soft and tender when cut.
If not finished in one meal, leftover meat can be stored in a soundproof container and refrigerated. Heat the meat in a frying pan just before eating so that the texture is crispy again
Method 3 of 3: Saute Pork Belly
Step 1. Heat a frying pan over high heat
Do not add oil at this stage.
Pork belly meat has a high fat content. Therefore, you will most likely not need to add oil to the pan. While this will speed up the cooking process, using too much oil risks splattering the oil in all directions
Step 2. Cut the pork belly
Using a sharp knife, cut the pork belly into 6-12 mm thick.
No need to make an incision in the skin even though the skin is quite thick. In fact, thinly slicing pork is enough to melt the fat and make it crunchy
Step 3. Fry the meat in a little oil
Arrange the pork chops on the surface of the skillet (make sure the meat doesn't stack or touch); Fry the meat until the entire surface is crispy brown.
- The cooking time required will depend largely on the amount of meat you place on the surface of the pan; but usually, you need to fry each side of the meat for 4-5 minutes.
- Turn the meat with tongs. If the hot oil starts to splatter, try using a pan lid or splatter screen (a special tool to cover the pan to prevent the oil from splattering during the cooking process).
Step 4. Add the various spices that have been prepared
Once the surface of the meat is lightly browned, drain the melted fat, then add the honey, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and minced garlic to the pan.
- If there is too much fat left in the pan, try absorbing it with a paper towel.
- It's a good idea to mix all the ingredients together in a separate bowl before pouring them into the skillet. Doing so will allow all the spices to blend perfectly before cooking and enhance the flavor of your pork as it cooks.
Step 5. Reduce the heat and continue the cooking process
Continue to cook until the sauce is thickened, shiny, and completely covers the meat.
- Turn the meat periodically so that all parts of the meat are evenly coated with the sauce.
- The cooking time required varies greatly; however, generally you need to do this process for 2-3 minutes.
Step 6. Serve the meat hot for maximum flavor
Turn off the heat and serve the meat on a plate with the sauce.
