Crispy Pork Belly Recipes

Steps:

• For the chile gastrique: In a medium saucepan, bring the Nam Pla to a boil. Lower to a simmer and reduce the sauce by half. Chill.
• For the pork belly: Heat the oil to 350 degrees F in a medium pot.
• Carefully lower the Pork Belly into the oil using a fry basket. (Make sure there is no excess moisture on the pork. This can cause splattering.) Fry the pork until the skin and flesh are very crispy and have darkened significantly. Place on a plate lined with paper towels and quickly build the salad.
• In a small bowl, toss together the green papaya, carrot, tomato, onion, half of each of the herbs and the Nam Pla. Mix with tongs to incorporate.
• Place the mixed green papaya salad on a decorative plate. Form a bed for the pork.
• Place the pork, slightly fanned out, on the green papaya salad. Drizzle the pork generously with 1 ounce chile gastrique (save the remainder for another use). Sprinkle the dish with diced macadamia nuts and the remaining herbs.
• Mix together the honey, lime juice, fish sauce, vinegar, garlic and sambal in a bowl. Best made a couple days in advance to allow flavors to marry.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Lightly spray the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle over the ginger, garlic and scallion.
• Rinse the pork belly under running cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Place the pork over the aromatics in the pan, skin-side up. Mix the mirin, sake, teriyaki and sambal in a small bowl. Pour the sauce over the top of the pork belly. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake until fork-tender, about 3 hours.
• Remove the pork and place another similar dish on top as a weight. Use cans or other heavy items to create additional weight. Press the pork, refrigerated, overnight. This will make the pork even in thickness and allow for a better fry. Slice the following day, once the pork has chilled and set completely.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).
• Season pork belly all over with smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Wrap pork in parchment paper; wrap a second time in aluminum foil, and a third time in another sheet of aluminum foil. Place pork packet in a baking dish.
• Roast in the preheated oven until tender for 6 hours. Let cool in wrappings to room temperature; place cooled packet in refrigerator and chill for 8 hours or overnight.
• Unwrap chilled meat. Save any rendered fat that falls away when unwrapping pork.
• Cut meat into 6 equal-size portions. Cut 1/8-inch by 1/8-inch slashes in the fat-side of the pork. Season with salt.
• Heat 2 tablespoons reserved pork fat in a skillet over medium heat. Place pork belly, fat side down, in hot fat; cook until well-browned on all sides and heated through, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer pork belly to a plate, drizzle with olive oil and season with pepper.

Steps:

• For the pork belly: Line a baking sheet with foil and fit with a wire rack.
• Mix together the olive oil, thyme, mustard powder, coriander, red pepper flakes, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and a generous amount of pepper in a small bowl until combined. Mix the baking powder with 2 teaspoons salt in a separate small bowl.
• Pat the skin of the pork belly completely dry. Use a sharp skewer, fork or paring knife to poke lots of holes all over the skin, making sure not to hit the meat. This will help the skin crisp up. Flip the pork over and rub the spice mixture all over the meat (not the skin). Transfer to the prepared baking sheet skin-side up. Sprinkle half of the baking powder mixture over the skin. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Wipe off the baking powder mixture from the pork with a paper towel. Pat the skin completely dry and sprinkle with the remaining baking powder mixture.
• Bake until the pork is cooked through and tender, about 2 hours. Raise the temperature to 500 degrees F and continue cooking until the skin is golden brown, bubbling and crispy, about 20 minutes more. Let rest for 10 minutes.
• For the sauce: Meanwhile, whisk together the cilantro, olive oil, honey, scallions, garlic, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a medium bowl.
• Slice the pork belly into 1/2-inch-thick slices and transfer to a serving platter. Spoon the sauce down the middle before serving.