Flavourful and decadent, sliced pork belly is a family favourite for a reason. Whether you prefer pork slow cooked in the oven, or crispy, in a sweet marinade, this comfort food can easily step in for the Sunday roast, oradd a little something different to weekday meals. If you're in need of some inspiration, we've compiled gransnetters' best recipes for sliced pork belly.
This way for more dinner suggestions...
Marinated pork belly slices
With a short cooking time, these tender pork slices, smothered with a sticky marinade, are delicious whether you're serving it for Sunday lunch, or want to wow at midweek dinner.
Ingredients
- 8 slices belly pork, cut into 2cm cubes or slices
For the marinade
- 2 tbsp black treacle
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp chopped garlic
- 2 tsp chopped ginger
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Method
- Put all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds. Mix well and pour over chopped pork. Stir to thoroughly coat meat.
- Bake, covered in foil, in an ovenproof dish for 40 minutes at 200°C/Gas Mark 6. Remove the foil and cook the dish for a further 10 minutes.
Crisp pork belly slices in BBQ sauce
These succulent pork slices, with a homemade BBQ glaze, are the definition of delicious.Simply serve up with potatoes and a healthy salad, drizzled with a light dressing.
Ingredients
- 2 x 400g marinated pork belly slices
- 200ml apple cider
- 50ml dark soy sauce
- 30ml lemon juice
- 35g demerara sugar
- 15g English mustard
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled
- 55g tomato purée
- 2g ground ginger
- Black Pepper
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
- Put the pork belly slices in a large roasting tin and season with some black pepper. Cook for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, finely chop the garlic and put into a saucepan with the cider, mustard, ginger, lemon juice, tomato purée, brown sugar and soy sauce. Slowly bring to the boil, stirring occasionally.
- Pour this over the pork and continue to cook for another 30 minutes.
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Slow cooked pork belly slices
Good things come to those who wait, and that can certainly be said of this roast pork dish. With only three ingredients, it's an easy recipe - just pop it in the oven on Sunday morning and by dinnertime you will have a tasty centrepiece for your meal.
Ingredients
- 6-8 pieces of belly pork or pork ribs
- Half a bottle of Worcestershire sauce
- 5 tbsp dark brown sugar
Method
- Place the pork into an ovenproof dish.
- Sprinkle with the Worcestershire sauce, until it's entirely covered.
- Sprinkle with the dark brown sugar.
- Roast in a pan for 5-6 hours.
Pork belly and mushroom casserole
When it comes to a simple crowd-pleaser, you really can't go wrong with a casserole. With pork belly slices, crispy bacon and a dash of white wine, this hearty dish is a tasty, indulgent dinner option.
Ingredients
- 1 glug of olive oil
- 2 medium sized onions, diced
- 2 medium sized potatoes, peeled and sliced
- 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
- ¼ white cabbage, shredded
- 500ml good quality chicken stock
- Salt and pepper to taste (go easy on salt as stock is salty)
- 2 rashers smoked back bacon, diced
- 2 rashers belly pork, rind removed and halved
- 100ml dry white wine
- 75g sliced button mushrooms
Method
- Preheat the oven to 140°C/Gas Mark 2.
- Add a splash of olive oil to an ovenproof pot or casserole dish.
- Cook down the onions, potatoes, garlic and cabbage.
- Meanwhile, heat a frying pan with a small amount of oil and pan fry the bacon until crisp. When it's ready, add it to the onion and potatoes.
- In the same pan, sear the belly pork. Add it to the same dish as the cabbage, bacon, onion and potatoes. In the frying pan, add the wine and bring to the boil. Stir well to deglaze, add the remaining stock, bring to the boil and then pour the liquid into the casserole.
- Cover with a tight fitting lid and place in the oven for 60 to 90 minutes. Remove from the oven, check liquid has not all evaporated, add a little more stock if necessary. Place back in the oven for a further 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and add the mushrooms, mixing them in gently. Return back to the oven for a further 30-45 minutes, occasionally checking the liquid.
- Remove from the oven 10 minutes before serving. Serve with crusty bread.
Voilà!Dinner is served, but if you're stuck on what to have for dessert, make sure you check out our bake of the week page. With new dishes every week, and an archive of family-friendly recipes, it's the perfect place for all your baking needs.
Other things you might like:
Easy low-carb recipes Warming soup recipesImages: Shutterstock
FAQs
The videos below from the guys over at ChefSteps shows you how to cook pork belly using three different methods: braising in the oven, pressure cooking (with a nice sear to finish it off), and of course, this being ChefSteps, sous vide.
How do you cook pork belly so it's not tough? ›
Preheat oven to 450°F. Roast pork belly for 30 minutes on the middle rack in a heavy, oven-safe pan or skillet, skin side up / fat side up. Reduce heat to 275°F and roast for an hour or more, until tender but not mushy. (Larger pieces of pork belly will take longer.
Why are my pork belly slices tough? ›
A: The pork belly may be tough if the slices are cut too thick, resulting in insufficient cooking time to tenderize the meat. Alternatively, the pork may have been overcooked, causing it to become tough.
What is sliced pork belly called? ›
Bacon – “Sliced Pork Belly” - Shady Grove Ranch.
How long should you cook pork belly slices for? ›
Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas mark 4. Dry the belly slices with kitchen paper, then season with salt and pepper. Mix together the ingredients for the sauce and toss the slices in the sauce in a roasting tin. Cover tightly with foil and roast for 1hr 30 mins, until completely tender.
What is the most common use for pork belly? ›
The tender pork belly is most often used to make bacon, but there are other ways to appreciate this cut. Braise or roast it and enjoy the unique milky flavor – so different from cured bacon or conventional pork.
Why do you pour boiling water on pork belly? ›
boiling water trick
This helps to prep the skin to crackle as its now "pre-cooked" so to speak. Make sure to pat dry with paper towel to further dry afterwards.
Why do you put vinegar on pork belly? ›
White Vinegar helps dry out the skin – but it has a secondary purpose of removing the odour! If you are prepared, place the Pork in the Fridge UNCOVERED overnight – the skin will dry out. When you pre-heat your oven, remove the pork from the fridge and let it return to room temperature.
Do I have to boil pork belly before frying? ›
Once you have the belly, the next thing you'll need to do is boil it, which helps render out some of the fat before frying. Based on other recipes I've seen, there's a split between boiling the belly in plain salted water and water that has additional seasonings like garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves, and soy sauce.
How to make pork extremely tender? ›
How do you make pork soft and tender? Soak your pork in a salt-based brine before cooking it using your desired method. Pork chops need to soak between 12–24 hours, an entire pork tenderloin needs to soak for 6–12 hours, and an entire pork loin requires 2–4 days of soaking.
Roast in a slow oven for 2 1/2 hours at 140°C/285°F so the flesh becomes tender; Level the pork so the skin is level (ie. as horizontal as possible) by propping up the belly with balls of foil beneath. This makes the crackling cook evenly = perfect crackling.
Do you cook pork belly on high or low heat? ›
The secret to cooking pork belly is the combination of a gentle heat to tenderise the meat and short, high temperature blasts to crisp up the skin on the outside. Typically, recipes call for around 2 hrs at 180C/160C fan/gas 4, then a further 30 mins or so at 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
Can you cook sliced pork belly like bacon? ›
Bake thinner strips, cut like thick-cut bacon, at 400°F for 10 minutes; drain the fat, flip, and bake for 5-7 more minutes, until crispy. If the slices are not browned enough after baking them on the second side, flip them again and continue baking until browned and crispy, for 5-10 more minutes.
Is pork belly healthier than bacon? ›
Is pork belly healthier than bacon? Bacon contains smoke flavor, preservatives (like nitrates), and added ingredients that may not be considered part of a healthy diet. If you're trying to eat more naturally, pork belly may make a better choice.
Are pork slices the same as pork belly? ›
Pork slices are medium-thick slices of pork cut from the belly. They look a lot like thick-cut streaky bacon, because that's what they would be if they were cured or smoked! Pork slices can be braised or roasted for about an hour to allow the fat to render down and the skin to become tender.
What are some common methods of cooking pork? ›
Dry-Heat Methods
- Grilling - for both small pork cuts cooked over direct heat and large pork cuts cooked with indirect heat.
- Broiling - for small cuts such as chops, kabobs and pork patties.
- Sautéing/Stir-Frying - for small pork cuts such as chops, cutlets and strips.
Choose the Right Cut of Pork
But to get the best results, you'll want to be picky about the particular cut of belly you get. What we're looking for here is what in Chinese is called 三层肉, which literally translates to '3-layer meat', meaning there's a clear distinction between the skin, the fat, and the meat.
Can you cook pork belly in a pan? ›
Place the slices of pork belly in the hot pan and let them cook. Turn the meat often until both sides of each slice are golden-brown and crispy. The exact amount of time can vary depending on how crowded the pan is, but 4 to 5 minutes per side will usually be enough time.
What are pork bellies used for? ›
Grilled pork belly is often served as a main course or as an ingredient in dishes like sandwiches or sliders. Sliced pork belly: sliced into thin or thick pieces and served as an ingredient in other dishes, such as sandwiches, salads, or stir-fries.
