Follow our guide for how to make slow-cooked pork belly. Learn how to achieve perfectly crisp crackling and soft, tender meat for the best-ever Sunday lunch.
This dish is the best choice for roasting because it has the best mix of crispy skin and juicy meat. Few people say no to pork belly, so why not try making this meaty masterpiece at home? It will impress all meat eaters and make your Sunday roast taste even better. Advertisement.
Find out how to cook pork belly in the oven in our guide, and then look at more pork belly recipes. Read our guides on how to cook pork shoulder and how to cook pork chops to learn more about other cuts.
Crispy, crackling pork belly is one of the most mouthwatering dishes around. When properly prepared, the fatty, savory meat topped with paper-thin, shatteringly crunchy skin is an absolute delight But achieving that perfect texture and crispiness requires careful technique – and one key step is pressing the pork belly before cooking.
Pressing transforms the pork belly slab from a floppy cut of meat into an evenly shaped piece primed for roasting or grilling. Flattening and compacting the fatty layers leads to more even cooking and better rendering of fat. The end result is pork belly with optimally crispy skin and tender, meltingly soft meat.
Why Pork Belly Needs Pressing
Fresh pork belly typically has an uneven shape with areas of varying thickness. One end may be thicker while the other tapers off. The meat can also bulge in places depending on the location on the hog. Pressing evens out the slab so it cooks uniformly.
The natural state of pork belly also has gaps and air pockets between the layers of fat and meat. Pressing collapses these spaces so the belly becomes more compact and dense. This allows heat to transfer evenly through the cut during cooking.
Without pressing, pork belly will curl and warp during cooking. The skin can separate and bubble away from the meat. Pressing melds the skin to the fatty layers underneath so it stays put as the belly transforms from raw to golden brown during roasting or grilling.
How to Press Pork Belly
Pressing pork belly takes a little elbow grease but gets easy with practice. Here is a step-by-step guide:
Prep – Start with a 1 to 2 pound slab of skin-on pork belly around 1 inch thick Trim off any awkward overhangs or thin tapering sections
Pierce – Use a fork to poke holes across the skin side. This allows air and moisture to escape during pressing.
Season – Sprinkle both sides with salt. For extra flavor, you can add spices like garlic powder, onion powder, paprika or cayenne.
Weigh – Place another pan or plate on top of the pork belly. Weigh down with cans, bricks or another heavy object.
Press – Let sit for 30 minutes up to 2 hours in the fridge. The longer the press time, the flatter the belly becomes.
Rotate – Halfway through, flip the belly and return the weights. This equalizes the pressure.
Dry – Pat the skin very dry after pressing. This helps it crisp up later.
Once pressed, the pork belly is ready for roasting, broiling or grilling to achieve that perfect crackling. Pressing sets you up for pork belly success!
Why Pressing Works
Pressing transforms pork belly on a structural level. Smashing down on the fatty layers:
- Flattens out uneven thicknesses
- Compresses air pockets
- Adheres the skin to the fat
- Spreads out moisture
This gives a uniform slab that crisps and cooks evenly. Pressing also relaxes the proteins through the stress of compression. The cell walls weaken slightly and become more prone to releasing moisture later.
The pressure extrudes some of the fat and water outward. So when the belly is cooked, less moisture has to be rendered out. This helps the pork crisp up faster and develop that desirable layered texture – tender meat between crunchy strips of crackling.
Weights and Tools for Pressing
Homemade weights – Cast iron skillets, cans of food, bricks wrapped in foil, bottles of wine, etc.
Kitchen weights – Pie weights, adjustable dumbbells, press weights designed for meat pressing.
Pressing tools – Wooden pressing boards with clamps, stainless steel bacon presses, etc. These spread out the pressure more evenly.
The key is applying even weight across the entire surface of the pork belly. 2 to 4 pounds per square inch of pressing force is ideal. Too little weight won’t properly flatten the pork, while too much can make it overly dense.
Tips for Best Results
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Chill the pork belly well before pressing – the meat should be very cold.
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Cut the belly into manageable squares or rectangles before pressing for more even compression.
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Place wax paper or plastic wrap between the pork and weights to discourage sticking.
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Let the meat rest for 10 minutes after pressing before cooking to allow the cell structure to relax.
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For perfect crackling, thoroughly dry the skin after pressing and score it lightly before roasting.
With practice, you’ll master the ideal pressing times and weights for your preferred thickness of pork belly. Proper pressing is the first vital step to mouthwatering crispy pork perfection. Once you discover how pressing transforms pork belly, you’ll never skip this simple prep step again!
Our top pork belly recipes
This cheap cut of pork is perfect for a sensational Sunday roast. Our luxurious three-hour pork belly creates beautifully soft flesh and crisp crackling. Serve with red cabbage and new potatoes for an ultra-satisfying family meal. It takes a grand total of just 10 minutes to prepare this golden-brown beauty for cooking.
How to roast pork belly
- Score the pork belly using a very sharp knife.
- Place the pork in a roasting pan with the skin side up on a rack. Rub with oil and season with salt. This makes the skin crisp and the fat run off.
- Transfer to a preheated oven. Check your recipe for times and temperatures. To make the meat tender, pork belly needs both slow, gentle heat and a short burst of higher heat to make the skin crispy.
- For 2 hours and 15 minutes at 180C/160C fan/gas 4, then raise the temperature to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 for an extra 35 minutes to make the crackling crispy.
- After the pork is done (it should be tender; you can check this by cutting into it), take it out of the oven and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.
Pressed Belly of Pork | The F Word
FAQ
Why do you score pork belly?
Does pork belly get more tender the longer you cook it?
How to stop pork belly from being chewy?
Why isn’t my pork belly crispy?
If your pork belly is not crispy, make sure that the skin is completely dry before you cook it. Wet skin will not get crispy. Cook for a longer time or place it under the broiler to help achieve crispiness. You can also use a blow torch on the skin.
How to cook a pork belly?
To cook a pork belly, the secret is to cook it slowly at a low temperature. This will render the fat and make the skin crisp. You can either roast or fry it at a low temperature to achieve this result. Another secret is to score the skin before cooking. This will help the fat render and ensure the skin is even more crispy.
How to make pork belly have crispy skin?
To make pork belly have crispy skin, follow these steps: 1. Rub equal parts of baking soda and salt into the skin before cooking. This will help to draw out moisture. 2. Cook the pork belly slowly at a low temperature to render the fat and make the meat juicy. Scoring the skin before cooking will also help the fat render and make the pork belly even crisper.
Does roasted pork belly get crispy?
Pork belly will only get crispy when it is subjected to a high heat, this is due to the fat content of the meat. Though it is best to slow cook a pork belly, one of the most important steps to a crispy skin is the final blast of high heat. Learn how to make the best crispy roasted pork belly you’ve ever had with this simple recipe.