Pork belly braised with Asian spices until tender. Then, seared until golden brown and crisp on all sides.
MMM pork belly! For me, pork belly is like a staple ingredient. It’s always nice to have some hanging around the house to add to everything. For some people cooking a pork belly can seem intimidating, but this recipe is simple and straight forward. The hardest parts being removing all the fat from the sauce and watching out for spatters when searing the portions.
I chose a meatier piece of pork belly for this recipe. It’s pork belly it has a lot of fat. But I’m not making bacon (at least not today). I was looking for a tender piece of meat surrounded in crispy fat. This portion, I think, worked out well with a thin layer of fat on the top and through the middle.
A lot of fat from the belly will melt into the braising liquid as it cooks. This fat needs to be removed from the liquid before finishing the sauce. But all that delicious fat doesn’t have to go to waste! The fat can be stored in an airtight container in your fridge or freezer and can be used for dishes such as carnitas.
The braised pork belly can be seared immediately, or it can be portioned and stored in the fridge for future use. I used this belly for crispy pork belly with sweet potato gnocchi and in a charred corn and okra salad. It also makes a nice addition to ramen or rice bowls.
Twice Cooked Pork Belly
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 pounds pork belly skin off
- 1 bunch green onions roots removed
- 2 inch ginger sliced
- 4 garlic cloves smashed
- 1/4 tsp chili flake
- 1/2 each lime zest
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 2 cloves
- 1/2 tsp peppercorn
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 3 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/8 cup water
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 275 degrees.
- Place all ingredients from pork belly to 3 1/2 cups water into a baking dish. Cover and cook in the oven for 3 hours until tender.
- Remove the pork from the pan and cool.
- Strain the braising liquid and skim off all of the fat. Place the liquid in a pot, add the sugar, and reduce by half.
- Mix the cornstarch and the water. Mix the slurry into the braising liquid and simmer for 1-2 minutes.
- Cut the pork belly into desired portions size and pat dry. The pork needs to be as dry as possible or it will not get a good sear. Heat a large skillet with some oil over medium-medium/high heat. Sear all sides of the pork belly until golden brown and serve with the sauce.
