Eric’s Pork Belly Recipe

Oh my goodness, I can taste the juiciness melting in my mouth… 😋

 
 

Before we get started… You’re welcome

Pork belly is one of the most surprising dishes that I make. It seems simple, but the combination of flavors and textures make it truly one of the highlights of our dinner rotation. 

The Background: Pork belly, when cooked right, is soft and tender on the inside while being crispy on the outside. We get our pork belly at Costco sliced, rather than a slab.  For this recipe, I look for the thickest slices of pork belly I can find. The thickness really accentuates the juicy center because it doesn’t dry out as quickly.   Depending on how hungry folks are, one or two thick slices is usually enough. We happen to have a few growing teenagers, so we increase our estimation to 7 slices per person 😂 (kidding). 

The name of the game is SLOW. I preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 C) and plan to cook the pork belly for about 3 hours.

While the oven is pre-heating, I prep the pork belly slices. Using the same pan/rack from the spatchcock turkey recipe, I lay the strips out perpendicular to the wires in the rack. Then I sprinkle the seasoning.

  • Salt

  • Pepper

  • Seasoning Salt

  • Garlic Salt

  • Sweet Mesquite Seasoning (This was offered at Costco, but apparently not anymore. I haven’t tried any other mesquite seasonings since we bought several jars of it before it left the shelves.)

Once all of the slices have been seasoned, I flip them over with tongs and season the other side.

Then I pop the tray in the oven and as they say, “set it and forget it.” I check on it every 45 minutes or so. Once the top looks crispy (this will take some time), flip the strips over and keep going. After about three hours, the entire outside will be crispy and you’re ready to eat.

We typically serve our pork belly with white rice and salad or grilled asparagus, but you can dress it up however you want. I don’t recommend letting them rest for too long before eating, a lot of the juices will dry/drain and biting through the outer crisp will not be met with a juicy interior.

We usually eat them with a steak knife and fork. Enjoy!