Easy Braised Pork Belly
When most American cooks think of pork belly, they likely think of one thing and one thing only: bacon.
I love bacon, but this cheap cut of pork has many other uses that go beyond its salty, smoky, crispy strips of love.
Today, I’m going to share how to make a simple braised pork belly so that, once you get it going and into the oven, you can put your feet up and relax for a few hours while the pork does its thing.
Braising might seem like a technical chef term, but all it means is searing something on high heat and then slowly simmering in liquid, the goal is to give flavor to the meat while also making it incredibly tender.
The other big bonus to braising is the flavorful liquid that the meat cooks in, which can be turned into a quick sauce to serve alongside the meat for added flavor and moisture. Honestly, braising is one of those cooking processes that just keeps on giving.
Now, let’s talk about the star of the show for a moment, the pork belly.
As the name might tell you, pork belly comes from the lower torso region or belly of the pig. It has the highest fat content out of the common supermarket cuts of pork, but once braised, that fat keeps the pork incredibly moist, juicy, and flavorful.
Most butcher shops and grocery store meat counters will stock pork belly, you will want to make sure the belly you buy is as intact as possible, and if you can help it look for pork belly that still has the skin attached; that skin can render down and become incredibly crispy.
The pork belly I bought does not have skin, but that’s alright; I can still get it flavorful with the braising liquid.
With that said, let’s do it!
Braised Pork Belly
Servings: 4-6
2 pounds of skinless pork belly
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
1/2 head of celery, roughly chopped
3 large cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tablespoon of fennel seeds
1 tablespoon of peppercorns
6 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
4 bay leaves
1/2 bottle of dry white wine
1-2 cups of chicken broth
2 slices of bread
2 tablespoons of whole grain mustard
Step 1: Season and sear the pork belly
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Season the pork generously with salt and pepper. Given the fat content of pork belly, you will need quite a bit of salt.
Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Once wisps of smoke start to appear, add the pork belly and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until all sides are browned. Remove the pork from the pot.
Step 2: Start cooking the aromatics
In the same pot used to sear the pork belly, add the celery and garlic and cook until the celery starts to brown.
On a small piece of cheesecloth, place the fennel seeds, peppercorns, cardamom, and bay leaves. Bring the corners of the cloth together, then tie using kitchen twine. Add that to the celery, and cook for 30 seconds.
(This technique with the cloth is known as a sachet and it’ll make removing those spices to make the sauce that much easier.)
Step 3: Start the braising liquid
Add the white wine, use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits at the bottom of the pot, then bring to a simmer and reduce by half to cook out the alcohol and concentrate the flavor.
Return the pork to the pot, then add enough broth to almost completely cover the pork. Bring to a simmer, then transfer to the oven and cook for 3-4 hours, or until the pork is fall-apart tender.
(Whenever you’re braising, it’s important to bring the liquid to a simmer before transferring it to the oven, otherwise, the stock will never get up to temperature and it’ll take longer to braise.)
Step 4: Turn the braising liquid into a sauce
Once the pork is tender and the liquid has reduced by a lot, remove it from the pot and let it rest while you make the sauce.
First, you want to remove the excess fat from the braising liquid. To do this, take those bread slices and drag them across the top of the liquid, that bread will soak up the fat but leave most of the actual liquid behind.
(If you want, you can then cut the bread into cubes and cook it in a frying pan for the ultimate croutons.
Also, if you have a fat/gravy separator, then this would be the perfect time to use it.)
Bring the liquid to a simmer, then whisk in the mustard until smooth. It won’t be very thick like gravy, but it’ll be full of flavor and great to serve with your tender pork belly.
Slice the pork belly into strips, then serve with the sauce.
The end result is tender, fall-apart pork with a mustard-chicken stock sauce that is packed with flavor and is guaranteed to make you feel special for one night.
