Perfect Baked Pork Belly
The other day I was at the butchers buying meat that I needed for dinner when I spotted this piece of pork belly, it was nice and lean and looked amazing, so I bought it for the following nights dinner.
After many years of trying different recipes, using different oven temperatures, all failing to produce the crackling that I crave for, crispy and crunchy I have finally found a method that makes the perfect crackling. Each bite of the crackling is amazing, I love the sound it makes. And the meat, super moist, super tender, perfect.
I am sharing with you today the only way I will ever bake pork belly for the rest of my life, because it works.
Look for pork that is even in thickness, about 3-3.5cm in thickness. It is better if the skin has no wrinkles, but a few is ok. DO NOT score the skin here. It is also best not to buy vacuumed packed pork belly, but if that is your only option, you should definitely dry the skin overnight in the fridge. I have also made this with larger pieces of pork belly and it works perfectly even if your pork belly is bigger.
If you don't have time to dry the skin overnight, try and at least do it for 4-6 hours. If that is not possible dry the skin as best as you can.
This pork belly roasts for 3 hours, with different things happening at different stages.
I'm adding Nagi's video here so you can see how easy this is to make. I don't make the sides she makes online. She does a cauliflower puree, apple sauce and a vermouth jus. Now I can't be certain if her recipe was used on MKR recently, but the exact flavour combination was and neither judges loved that combination either. In her cookbook she makes a Creamy Mustard Sauce using the pan juices. Both options don't suit my family. I prefer roasted potatoes or creamy potatoes or cooked sauerkraut with pork. I would even prefer baked apples to apple sauce with pork.
It is important to level the pork belly piece just before it goes into the intense heat phase. The heat will hit the skin evenly and will give you crackle all over. Dips in the skin could lead to rubbery patches. Do this to ensure you have crispy, crackling, skin
Also prior to baking, if by chance you don't have an evenly thick piece of pork belly, the thinner side can be propped up with onion that is sliced into rounds to help make the pork skin level. I may even next time put a layer of onions under the pork with some sage leaves to add flavour to the flesh, I've done that previously and we loved it.
So if you want to make perfect roast pork, try this method. It's so good.
After many years of trying different recipes, using different oven temperatures, all failing to produce the crackling that I crave for, crispy and crunchy I have finally found a method that makes the perfect crackling. Each bite of the crackling is amazing, I love the sound it makes. And the meat, super moist, super tender, perfect.
I am sharing with you today the only way I will ever bake pork belly for the rest of my life, because it works.
Look for pork that is even in thickness, about 3-3.5cm in thickness. It is better if the skin has no wrinkles, but a few is ok. DO NOT score the skin here. It is also best not to buy vacuumed packed pork belly, but if that is your only option, you should definitely dry the skin overnight in the fridge. I have also made this with larger pieces of pork belly and it works perfectly even if your pork belly is bigger.
If you don't have time to dry the skin overnight, try and at least do it for 4-6 hours. If that is not possible dry the skin as best as you can.
This pork belly roasts for 3 hours, with different things happening at different stages.
I'm adding Nagi's video here so you can see how easy this is to make. I don't make the sides she makes online. She does a cauliflower puree, apple sauce and a vermouth jus. Now I can't be certain if her recipe was used on MKR recently, but the exact flavour combination was and neither judges loved that combination either. In her cookbook she makes a Creamy Mustard Sauce using the pan juices. Both options don't suit my family. I prefer roasted potatoes or creamy potatoes or cooked sauerkraut with pork. I would even prefer baked apples to apple sauce with pork.
It is important to level the pork belly piece just before it goes into the intense heat phase. The heat will hit the skin evenly and will give you crackle all over. Dips in the skin could lead to rubbery patches. Do this to ensure you have crispy, crackling, skin
Also prior to baking, if by chance you don't have an evenly thick piece of pork belly, the thinner side can be propped up with onion that is sliced into rounds to help make the pork skin level. I may even next time put a layer of onions under the pork with some sage leaves to add flavour to the flesh, I've done that previously and we loved it.
So if you want to make perfect roast pork, try this method. It's so good.
Recipe
Recipe adapted from Nagi Maehashi's cookbook Recipetin Eats Dinner
Serves 4-6
1kg pork belly with skin on, Not Scored
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon cooking salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Serves 4-6
1kg pork belly with skin on, Not Scored
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon cooking salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
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.
Preheat oven to 140°C/120°C fan forced.
Drizzle flesh only with 1 teaspoon of oil. Sprinkle over 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the pepper. Rub all over the flesh, including on the sides.
Wrap in foil: Place 2 pieces of aluminium foil on a work surface. Put the belly in middle of foil, skin side up. Fold the sides in to enclose the belly, leaving only the skin exposed, forming an open box, pinching corners to seal tightly and make it as snug as possible. Place meat on a tray.
Pat skin dry with paper towels. Rub with 1/2 teaspoon of oil then sprinkle remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt evenly all over the skin surface.
Place in the oven and roast for 1 and 1/2 hours, remove from the oven and tighten the foil to enclose the pork again as the pork will have shrunk, place the pork back in the oven and roast for a further 1 hour.
Remove pork from oven, then increase heat to 240°C (all oven types).
Now you need to level the pork. Remove pork from foil and place it on a rack set over a tray (using rack is best, but optional). Scrunch up some aluminium foil and place these foil balls anywhere there is dips in the pork belly, you need to prop up so the skin surface so that it is as level and horizontal as possible.
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 some foil over that area.
Remove pork from oven. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing into 2cm slices using a serrated knife. I do like to like to lightly salt the sides of the flesh with salt now, but that is up to you, taste a bit, see if it needs it.
Preheat oven to 140°C/120°C fan forced.
Drizzle flesh only with 1 teaspoon of oil. Sprinkle over 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the pepper. Rub all over the flesh, including on the sides.
Wrap in foil: Place 2 pieces of aluminium foil on a work surface. Put the belly in middle of foil, skin side up. Fold the sides in to enclose the belly, leaving only the skin exposed, forming an open box, pinching corners to seal tightly and make it as snug as possible. Place meat on a tray.
Pat skin dry with paper towels. Rub with 1/2 teaspoon of oil then sprinkle remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt evenly all over the skin surface.
Place in the oven and roast for 1 and 1/2 hours, remove from the oven and tighten the foil to enclose the pork again as the pork will have shrunk, place the pork back in the oven and roast for a further 1 hour.
Remove pork from oven, then increase heat to 240°C (all oven types).
Now you need to level the pork. Remove pork from foil and place it on a rack set over a tray (using rack is best, but optional). Scrunch up some aluminium foil and place these foil balls anywhere there is dips in the pork belly, you need to prop up so the skin surface so that it is as level and horizontal as possible.
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 some foil over that area.
Remove pork from oven. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing into 2cm slices using a serrated knife. I do like to like to lightly salt the sides of the flesh with salt now, but that is up to you, taste a bit, see if it needs it.
I like to serve the pork belly with sauerkraut, or with some potatoes (creamy baked or roasted) and broccoli salad.
Enjoy!
