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Let me tell you about the magic that is this pork belly recipe. This dish has everything you love about pork on one plate. Crispy skin that crunches with a pop! Juicy and tender meat! Loads of meaty flavor! If you’ve never had crispy pork belly or are intimated with how to cook it, I’ve got your back. It’s surprisingly easy. Make it with me and you’ll wow everyone at the table!
Why You Need My Pork Belly Recipe
- Tender, salty pork with ultra crispy skin – Picture rich, melt-in-your-mouth tender meat crowned with a crunchy crackling on top (like pork rinds). It’s the best of both!
- Easy to customize – Many pork belly recipes have a specific flavor profile, but mine is simple with salt and pepper, so it goes with anything. And once you know how to cook pork belly, you can easily customize it with different spices (see my ideas below).
- Versatile – My family loves this crispy pork belly, and I know yours will, too. It goes with many sides, and works as a main dish, an appetizer, or even a breakfast meat. And it feels like you’re at a restaurant!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here I explain the best ingredients for my pork belly recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Pork Belly – This flavorful, fatty cut of meat comes from the pig’s belly. It’s like bacon, except it’s thicker, not cured, and has skin on top (which gets so crispy when you cook it!). I don’t always find it at regular grocery stores, but it’s easy to get at butcher shops, specialty stores, or Asian markets. Look for cuts with even thickness for the best results.
- Avocado Oil – This helps the skin get nice and crispy! Olive will probably work, but it burns more easily than avocado oil.
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper – I keep it basic, but if you want extra flavor, see my seasoning variations below.
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I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Score the skin. Use a sharp knife to make a crisscross pattern across the skin of the pork.
- Season all over. Place the pork in a baking dish or rimmed sheet pan and brush with avocado oil. (I like to use these brushes that don’t shed.) Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake, then broil. Roast pork belly, skin side up. I start with a lower temp to render the fat in the skin, then increase the heat to finish baking, and finally, broil at the end to crisp up. This method with 3 temperatures gets the meat super tender and the skin so crispy!
- Enjoy! I recommend cutting into 1-inch slices, or you can do cubes (for pork belly bites).
My Recipe Tips
- Be careful not to cut through the meat. You want the criss-cross pattern on the skin only.
- Position the oven rack correctly. For baking, keep it in the middle for even cooking. Before you broil this pork belly recipe, move it about 6 inches below the broiler for a perfect crispy finish.
- Make sure to roast skin side up. The skin won’t get crispy if it’s against the pan!
- The cook time can vary. It depends on your pork belly’s size and thickness, your baking dish (I used this one in white), and your oven. Start with an hour for the first bake, then crank up the heat and watch for that golden-brown skin—it’s your sign it’s done! Mine was 3 pounds, so it will cook faster if yours is smaller.
- Use a meat thermometer for perfect results. The skin is a good sign of doneness, but for that melt-in-your-mouth texture, I love this probe thermometer (this one beeps when ready). Just set it to 195 degrees F — this seems high, but I find it makes the most tender result!
- Watch closely when broiling. Roasted pork belly can go from crispy to burnt very fast under the broiler, so check on it every minute or so.
- Slice against the grain. Just take a quick look at the lines running through the meat. Cutting across those lines (not along them) makes the meat more tender and easier to chew.
Seasoning Variations
The only thing you really need to season pork belly is salt and pepper, but feel free to branch out:
- Basic spices – When I want to add them, I usually use garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper.
- Spice blends – Try 2 tablespoons of Chinese five spice or my Cajun seasoning if you like some heat.
- Sweetness – Add a sprinkle of brown sugar (I use Besti Brown sweetener). These can burn, so I recommend adding them to this pork belly recipe halfway through baking. You may want to skip the broiling step.
Serving Ideas
Once you’ve nailed how to cook pork belly, you’ve got so many options for serving it! Here are some of my favorite ways:
- Sandwich – Use your favorite bread with my sugar free BBQ sauce and lettuce.
- Tacos – I like to stuff them with crispy pork belly, salsa, avocado (or guacamole), and cilantro.
- Bowls – Use rice or cauliflower rice as your base. Cut the pork into cubes and add sliced radishes and cucumbers (or sometimes I do stir fry vegetables), avocado, a sprinkle of sesame seeds, and a drizzle of spicy mayo.
- Salad – Slice this pork belly recipe over my cabbage salad, or smashed cucumber salad on the side. In my picture above, I made a simple leaf salad with radishes, cucumbers, and my Asian salad dressing.
- Breakfast – Serve it with your fried eggs or egg muffin cups (my personal fave). For brunch, try my spinach quiche.
Crispy Pork Belly Recipe
By
Learn how to cook pork belly that's tender inside and crunchy on top! My crispy pork belly recipe is simple, flavorful, and so easy.
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C).
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Using a knife, score the skin of the pork belly.
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Use a silicone basting brush to brush the avocado oil over the top of the pork belly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
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Place the pork belly into a baking dish, skin side up, and bake for 1 hour.
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Increase oven to 425 degrees F (218 degrees C) and bake for an additional 35-45 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
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Change oven to broil and broil the pork belly on high for 2-5 minutes, until the skin is crispy to your liking. It will crisp up more as it cools from hot to warm.
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Allow the pork belly to rest for 10 minutes before cutting into 1-inch slices.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 slice, or 1/12 of the entire recipe
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you get melt-in-your-mouth tender meat with extra crispy skin, and avoid over or under cooking.
- Add more flavor: See my seasoning variations above for ideas!
- Store: Crispy pork belly is best fresh, but leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
- Reheat: The skin loses it’s crispness, but I find it crisps up again in the air fryer. You can also reheat in a hot skillet, or the oven at 350 degrees F.
- Freeze: Slice and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
- Note on nutrition info: Pork belly is very rich and filling. I entered 1/4 pound as a serving size and that’s what shown below, but you might be satisfied with less!
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Crispy Pork Belly Recipe
80 Comments
Wendy
0How much sodium in recipes – I try to cook low sodium recipes so I would like to know if you know the sodium content.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Wendy, Sorry, I don’t have that info. I have more info on why in my nutrition policy.
Kayleigh
0Hi I made this today and my pork skin blistered and burnt 10 mins into the 425, I had to stop cooking it, also I do believe I didn’t put oil on the skin and wondered if that is a vital part in cooking and not causing the skin to blister, I’m looking for a solid thick crunchy skin, any help will be great.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Kayleigh, Yes, you need oil on the skin and this does reduce that burning effect. It’s normal for it to blister, but not burn. It sounds like your pork was also too close to the heating element.
Rosemerry
0Is salt pork the same as pork belly just salted?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Rosemerry, Salt pork is salt-cured pork belly.
Emily
0If I don’t have stoneware if there replacement dish to cook it in. Like a metal pan?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Emily, Yes, a rimmed baking sheet will work fine.
Emily
0Could you cook a two pound version at the same time, or would you lower the time?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Emily, Yes, I would recommend reducing the cooking time for a 2lb pork belly. I’ve got some tips on this in the post above.
Dana H
0This question was asked in March and April and you gave different answers. Please explain. Question: Should I cook the pork belly skin side up or skin side down?” Would you please explain when he’s better to use avocado oil than olive oil? I’ve only used avocado a couple of times when a recipe called for it. I don’t know why you would use it instead of olive oil for your first choice. * I haven’t made the recipe yet so I can’t rate it. Thank you!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Sorry about the confusion – cook skin side up. Avocado oil and olive oil will both work fine, but avocado oil has a higher smoke point.
William jones
0You have to leave the oven partially open when broiling and watch it the whole time.
Ms Vee
0What can be substituted for Avocado oil?
Chuck
0Try toasted sesame oil for an Asian flair.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0You can use olive oil, but it burns a little more easily.
Michelle
0I used brown sugar as recommended and it burned horribly.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Michelle, Sorry that happened! I’ve added additional tips to the post above to help next time if you want to use brown sugar.
Terri
0Would be nice to know the oven temperature. Read through your whole article and do not see it
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Terri, You can find that information on the recipe card, which is right above where you left this comment. Please make sure to read the recipe card to get the right result.
Christine Landsberg
0I made this in the air fryer today and used the same times. It came out perfect! Thank you.
Sarah Johnson
0Can this pork belly be cooked in the Air Fryer? If so what temp. would you use ? Thank you so much for all of your wonderful keto recipes. !!!!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sarah, I’ve only made this pork belly in the oven so far. I do want to try the air fryer, I bet it would get so crispy! I’d estimate lowering the temperature at each step by 25 degrees F, and check on it in half the time. Let me know how it goes!
Teresa Little
0Awesome
Ilene
0This looks delicious! However my belly is already sliced like in your pictures. Can I still somehow adapt and cook it? Please let me know your thoughts, I’m thinking mine would take less time. Thanks for a great recipe!!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Ilene, You should be able to cook it the same way, but the cooking time will be shorter. I’m not sure how much less unfortunately. I’d check on it and use internal temperature as well as appearance as a guide. I’ve got temp info and pictures above that can help!
Mrs Carol Matham
0Question: Does one place the belly skin side up or down when roasting?
Trini L Marchese
0So in this recipe, the skin side that is scored goes down??
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Trini, No, cook pork belly skin side down. This allows the skin to crisp up.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Carol, It’s skin side up.
Cici
0If you’re cooking only 1 lb. Should the timing be different?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Cici, Yes, the time would be less. I don’t have a specific amount of time for 1 pound, but I have tips above for internal temperature as well as pictures that can help you determine when it’s done.
Holley
0When I adjust the servings it doesn’t change the cooking time, it only changes the ingredients. What am I missing?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Holley, Adjusting the serving size only scales the recipe, it wouldn’t be possible to adjust the cooking time for all possibilities.
Julie Bower
0Excellent recipe and tutorial! We did two 3-pounders at the same time but in different pans. One was s/p/salt-free garlic herb seasoning (best flavor) and the other was s/p/smoked paprika. Thank you!
Natalie
0Very tasty. And easy to make. Great recipe. Thanks
Kristyn
0Love the crisp top! Delicious flavor! My hubby loves pork belly!
Natalie
0Looks incredibly juicy!! Love this cut of meat! Great alone or for so many recipes!
Paula
0We love pork belly, got to try your version! Looks yummy
Natalie
0Gosh this looks so good. It’s perfectly crispy and delicious. I will definitely make this for my family. Yum!