Slow-Roasted Crispy Pork Belly

Name: Slow-Roasted Crispy Pork Belly
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h 5 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Western
Ingredients: 1 kg (2 lb) pork belly, with skin on; 1½ tsp olive oil, divided; ½ tsp fennel powder, or ground fennel seeds; optional; 1 tsp (⅞ tsp) salt, cooking or kosher salt, divided; ¼ tsp black pepper; apple sauce; vermouth jus; cauliflower purée; See in post for more Sauce options

Crispy pork belly with bubbled golden crackling, sliced meat, and bowls of sauce. — Slow-roasted pork belly with crisp crackling and sliced portions.

Slow-roasted pork belly with tender, sliceable meat and crisp, bubbly crackling. Dry the skin, roast low, then finish hot with the pork leveled on foil balls.

By Cookin' KitchenOctober 18, 2026

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Total: 3 hours 5 minutes
Makes: 4 people

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 3 hours
Total: 3 hours 5 minutes
Makes: 4 people

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Recipe

Slow-Roasted Crispy Pork Belly

Slow-roasted pork belly with tender, sliceable meat and crisp, bubbly crackling. Dry the skin, roast low, then finish hot with the pork leveled on foil balls.

Cookin' · https://cookin.club/recipes/slow-roasted-crispy-pork-belly

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 3 hours
Total: 3 hours 5 minutes
Makes: 4 people

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Ingredients

4 people

For 4 people

Pork belly

1 kg (2 lb) pork belly, with skin on

Seasoning

1½ tsp olive oil, divided
½ tsp fennel powder, or ground fennel seeds; optional
1 tsp (⅞ tsp) salt, cooking or kosher salt, divided
¼ tsp black pepper

For serving

apple sauce
vermouth jus
cauliflower purée
See in post for more Sauce options

Instructions

Preparation

Step 1: Place the pork belly on a plate and pat the skin dry with paper towels. Leave it uncovered in the refrigerator overnight to dry. If you do not have time, pat the skin as dry as possible.
Step 2: Preheat the oven to 140°C/285°F (120°C fan).
Step 3: Set the belly flesh-side up. Drizzle the flesh only with 1 tsp oil, then sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt, the pepper, and fennel powder. Rub the seasoning over the flesh and sides, working it into the cracks and crevices.
Step 4: Place 2 pieces of foil on a work surface. Put the belly in the middle, skin-side up. Fold the foil sides around the meat to make an open box; pinch the corners closed and seal it snugly. Set the meat on a tray.
Step 5: Pat the skin dry with paper towels. Rub it with 1/2 tsp oil, then sprinkle the remaining 1/2 tsp salt evenly over the entire skin, from edge to edge.

Slow roasting and crackling

Step 6: Roast for 2 1/2 hours. After 1 1/2 hours, remove the pork and tighten the foil, as the meat will have shrunk. Return it to the oven and continue roasting. The snug foil helps keep the pork fat level high and protects the flesh so it stays moist.
Step 7: Remove the pork from the oven and increase the temperature to 240°C/465°F.
Step 8: Remove the pork from the foil and place it on a rack set over a tray; the rack is optional. Scrunch foil into balls and tuck them under the pork to prop it up so the skin is as level and horizontal as possible.
Step 9: Return the pork to the oven for 30 minutes, rotating it after 15 minutes as needed, until the crackling is deep golden, puffy, and crisp all over. If any patches brown too quickly, shield them with small pieces of foil. Open the oven carefully because it may be smoky, and open the windows.
Step 10: Remove the pork from the oven and rest it for 10 minutes before slicing.
Step 11: Using a serrated knife, slice the pork into 2 cm / ⅘-inch-thick slices. Serve with apple sauce and vermouth jus, and cauliflower purée on the side if desired.

Notes

Make-ahead and storage

Leftovers keep for 3–5 days. For reheating, separate the crackling: warm the meat in the microwave and crisp the crackling in a hot oven. You can also slice and pan-fry the pork, or serve it at room temperature in sandwiches or salads.

To make the whole roast ahead, save the juices and fat from the foil. Once the cooked pork has cooled completely, wrap the meat in foil with the crackling left exposed and pour about 1/4 cup of the reserved fat into the foil. Refrigerate overnight. Take it out 1 hour before reheating, uncovered, then warm it in its foil boat at 140°C fan or 160°C/325°F conventional for 20–30 minutes, until the meat is warmed through and tender.

Nutrition per person

Calories: 1,313 kcal
Fat: 135 g
Saturated fat: 49 g
Carbohydrates: 1 g
Fiber: 1 g
Protein: 23 g
Sodium: 661 mg
Cholesterol: 180 mg

Estimated values; they will vary with the exact ingredients and brands you use.

About this recipe

Slow-roast pork belly until tender, then turn up the heat for crisp, bubbly crackling. Keep the skin unscored and level during the final roast for more even crisping.

Close view of bubbled, golden pork crackling beside sliced pork belly. — Bubbly, crisp crackling on slow-roasted pork belly.

Overhead close-up of deeply bubbled, golden pork crackling on a rack. — Crisp, bubbled crackling after roasting.

Sliced pork belly showing crisp crackling and tender layers of meat. — A slice of pork belly with crisp skin and tender meat.

For the best-dried skin, leave the pork uncovered in the refrigerator overnight. If you are short on time, pat it very dry with paper towels. Serve sliced, with apple sauce, vermouth jus, or cauliflower purée if you like.

Raw pork belly, fennel, salt, pepper, and olive oil arranged as ingredients. — The pork belly and simple seasonings used in the recipe.

Crispy pork belly served with bowls of sauce and a pale purée. — Pork belly served with sauce and purée.

Slow-Roasted Crispy Pork Belly