Today I’m gonna show you the recipe for the ultimate pork belly. Ultimate because:
- It only has 3 ingredients
- It’s incredibly easy to make
- It’s extremely versatile
You can use this in a number of ways. At the restaurant, we braise it til tender for ramen topping or filling for bao, dice it up and fry it for sisig, or in this post, crisp it up in the cast iron skillet and make a gochujang glaze for a Korean inspired Rice bowl with house pickles, kimchi, and a fried egg. So what are we waiting for? Let’s cook!
You will need:
- A skinless pork belly
- Salt and sugar ¼ cup of each
Liberally season both sides of the pork belly with the salt and sugar mixture. Refrigerate and let sit for about an hour to 6 hours. When you take it out, pour out the excess liquid and place into a roasting pan fat side up.
Place into a 450F oven and roast on this temperature for an hour. Once the hour is up, turn the heat down to 250F and cook for an additional hour to an hour and a half.
Once the pork belly is finished cooking, take it out of the oven and strain off the juice, saving it for later. You can use this highly flavourful liquid gold for ramen broth, pan sauces, stirfrys, etc. Refrigerate the pork belly overnight to let it set.
When the pork belly is cold, simply slice into half inch pieces and wrap for whenever you need it. From here, you can use it straight away, or freeze for up to 2 months if it lasts that long. In this state, like I said earlier, you can braise it for ramen or bao, dice it up and fry it crispy for sisig, put it on top of roast potatoes, or pan sear it like we’re going to do for this Korean inspired rice bowl.
For the rice bowl, all we need to do is crisp the pork belly in a pan on medium high heat with a touch of oil. You really don’t need that much oil because of the fat in the pork. Since it’s already cooked, simply give it a few minutes on each side to brown it and heat it through.
While the pork belly is frying, let’s make a gochujang glaze. In a mixing bowl, combine:
- ¼ c Gochujang
- 2 Tbsp Sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp Mirin
- 1 tsp Sugar
- ¼ c Water
What you’re looking for is a consistency of hot sauce. You can adjust the liquid til you achieve that consistency and be sure to adjust to your taste.
Once the pork belly is done, place into a bowl and spoon over some of the gochujang glaze. Coat the pork evenly all over and set aside. While the pan is still hot, fry an egg the way you like it. Now let’s put this together.
Assemble your rice bowl, starting with the rice on the bottom. If you have furikake or nori powder, you can season with that as well. Top with the egg on one side and place your other components around the bowl. Today, we are using some kimchi and quick pickled cucumber.
Finally, add the pork belly and then finish with sesame seeds and scallions. I hope you enjoy this recipe. Take it with you, make it yours, and have fun in the kitchen.
