Salt Crusted Pork Belly

I’ll never forget the first time I tried pork belly. These perfectly roasted, juicy slices with a crispy edge layered with slaw in a pillowy rice bun. It was delicious and started my obsession with trying it every way I could, including trying my hand at it at home.

Many home cooks I’ve spoken to have expressed that it’s a challenging cut to get right, between making it tender and rendering the fat so it isn’t chewy. After trying many techniques myself, I’m confident this salt-crusted method is a simple and delicious way to prepare it at home for anyone, even a beginner.

Recipe Features

• This oven-roasting and rendering method takes 90 minutes, much less than a 3 hour braise.
• It’s a good introductory method for getting crispy pork belly every time.
• Change up flavor easily by roasting with different rubs, marinades, or sauces.

Ingredients & Substitutions

There are two core ingredients needed to make a perfect salt-crust pork belly. (Hint, they’re both in the title). But there are many ways to alter flavor to better suit a specific recipe, meal, or your family’s tastes.

• Pork Belly – Most grocers sell pork belly in manageable skin-off slabs or strips. You can also request it from the butchers counter and they often can sell you a larger slab if you’d like it.
• Salt – This recipe works best with coarse salt, like coarse kosher or sea salt.

Adjusting Flavor

There are many ways to change the flavor profile of salt-crusted pork belly. With simple adjustments, you can change the classic flavor into an Asian-inspired masterpiece or a great addition to your BBQ-themed meal.

• Use a rub – There are many rubs like tequila lime, lemon pepper, coffee, BBQ, or, my favorite, my homemade all-purpose seasoning. Any can be rubbed across the bottom and sides of your pork belly before roasting to enhance flavor. Do not rub the white part on top; you’ll need to score and salt that for this technique.
• Let it Marinate – To marinate pork belly before roasting, place your desired marinade in a wide, flat bottomed dish or bowl. Place the pork belly in and ensure the top is OUT of the liquid. Submerging it completely will make it harder to render the pork belly fat later.
• Glaze it – In part 2 of the salt-crust method, you can begin the glazing process. Brush it onto the pork belly during roasting until it’s coated to your preference. Take care not to apply a sugar-heavy glaze too early on, or it can burn.

Step by Step Instructions

This method not only yields delicious crispy pork belly, but it’s also fun! You’ll also be proud when you pull the finished belly out and see how it’s transformed from inedible to entirely decadent. The whole process takes maybe 90 minutes, and much of it is hands-off.

Step 1 – Set up and Score your Pork Belly

If you’re seasoning the meat with a rub, take a moment to apply that to the bottom and sides first. Preheat your oven to 350°F while you’re at it. Get a broiler pan or sheet pan with an oven-safe cooling rack ready. It’s best if you use a pan that allows the fat to render away from the meat. For easy clean up, line the bottom with foil. Then pour 1-2 inches of water in the bottom.

Then flip the belly so the fat side is up and place it on your prepared pan. Use a sharp knife and score the fat deeply enough to cut down to the meat but NOT into the meat. Cut diagonally, then repeat in the other direction.

Step 2 – Salt and Roast the Belly

Pat the fat dry with paper towels. Cover the scored fat with a thick layer of salt. You should not see any of the belly through the salt layer, and it needs to be even. For 2 pounds of pork belly, this is usually about 1 1/2 cups of salt.

If your pork belly is not an even thickness, often one side will sit lower on the pan. Fold up a piece of foil to create a flat, level surface on top so the salt crust can do its job correctly.

Slide the pan carefully onto the center rack of your preheated oven. Roast for 40 minutes.

Step 3 – Discard Salt and Crisp the Fat

After 40 minutes, the salt should look chunky and fragmented. It’s done its job and helped render out the fat. Carefully brush all the salt possible from the top of your pork belly and discard it. The salt has absorbed lots of fat, and can burn. Try to brush most of it from the pan. Turn the oven temperature up to 450°F.

Return the pork belly to the oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until the top layer is crispy and golden brown. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes, then slice and serve.

FAQ’S

I sincerely hope this technique for oven-roasting pork belly with a salt crust empowers home cooks to try their hand at a challenging cut of meat. It’s delicious when prepared this way, and we often enjoy it just sliced on the plate with thyme mashed potatoes and honey-roasted rainbow carrots. But you can serve it with coleslaw on a sandwich, rice and stir-fried veggies, or baked beans and potato salad. However you eat it, it’s going to be tasty!