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Home Cooking

Very thin, fairly lean pork belly--How to cook?

ninrn | Jul 27, 201811:10 AM 9
Asian Pork Pork Belly Pressure Cooking

Hi,

I know that someone asked this question before, but all the answers seem to have been referring to thinly sliced pork belly and not pork belly that's just thin. I have some pieces of fairly lean-looking, unsliced pork belly. Each piece is about 5" X 5" and only 3/4" thick. I have three of them and they total about 2.25 lbs.

I'd like to do an Asian-ish preparation with them, but I'm not sure how to cook them. Do you think they need pressure cooking or braising? If so, do I sear them before or after? I'd like to get something of a crust or crunch on the outside if possible.

Is this purchase just a terrible mistake?

Thanks very much,
ninrn

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9 Comments

  1. a
    acgold7 Braising, pressure cooking -- sure. Sear after -- searing before will leave them browned but not crispy. Takes well to any...

    Braising, pressure cooking -- sure. Sear after -- searing before will leave them browned but not crispy.

    Takes well to any form of seasoning you like.

    1. ninrn re: acgold7 Thanks, acgold7. Didn’t know if they still needed it given their thinness.

      Thanks, acgold7. Didn’t know if they still needed it given their thinness.

    2. m
      MrFerociousDinosaur Like acgold7 said, any of those will work. Would you consider deep frying? Leah Cohen does it to make pork belly adobo and the result...

      Like acgold7 said, any of those will work. Would you consider deep frying? Leah Cohen does it to make pork belly adobo and the result is extremely crispy
      Here is the recipe:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdSNL...

      1. m
        medlar I had a great dish at a Thai restaurant that would fit (Asian/crispy on top), but I've forgotten the name! Been meaning to go back...

        I had a great dish at a Thai restaurant that would fit (Asian/crispy on top), but I've forgotten the name! Been meaning to go back but haven't made it yet. However, Googling "thai pork belly crispy top layer" produces hits and techniques that look promising. Please let me know how your dish work out!

        1. ricepad I would marinate it (probably some mix of soy sauce, fish sauce, hoisin sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and sugar), then braise...

          I would marinate it (probably some mix of soy sauce, fish sauce, hoisin sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and sugar), then braise it until it was about 180F internal. THEN I would put it into a screaming hot cast iron pan, fat side down, to get a nice crispy layer. Cook up a pot of fresh rice, slice the belly into ¼" pieces, then take it all into a closet where I would eat it while hiding from the rest of my family.

          1. ninrn Hello Everyone, I cooked the pork belly and it came out well, though I can do better next time. Here’s what I did: I pressure...

            Hello Everyone,

            I cooked the pork belly and it came out well, though I can do better next time. Here’s what I did:

            I pressure-cooked all three pieces of pork belly whole in some water, soy sauce, rice wine, ginger, garlic, onion, a bit of fish sauce, and some lime pulp I had left over from making a lime vinaigrette. I let it cook on high pressure for 8 minutes after pressure came up, and let the pressure come down naturally after that. When I checked the meat I thought it could use more cooking, so I brought it up to pressure again and let it go another 4 minutes. It was perfectly cooked and very juicy.

            I cut it up and seared it off. It got a nice crust and was still juicy on the inside. I threw out the fat left from searing and sautéed a lot of leek in the same pan. I then added the pressure cooking liquid, reduced it, and served that as a sauce.

            It tasted good, but if I do it again, I’ll definitely marinade as you suggest, ricepad, and I’ll go much heavier on all the flavors and seasoning. I was afraid all those salty and sour ingredients would get too concentrated in the pressure cooker, but the flavor was very mild.

            Thank you all for your thoughts and advice. I really appreciate it!

            —ninrn

            1. alkapal i'm sorry you threw out the FAT!!!!! That is liquid GOLD, my friend.

              i'm sorry you threw out the FAT!!!!! That is liquid GOLD, my friend.

              1. ninrn re: alkapal I know. I had several twinges of conscience as I did it. But it was quite burned by the time I finished browning off all the pieces...

                I know. I had several twinges of conscience as I did it. But it was quite burned by the time I finished browning off all the pieces, and I store so much fat right on my person that I figured keeping even more socked away in the fridge might be overkill.

                1. a
                  acgold7 re: alkapal Oh, yeah, I would have saved the fat and thrown out the rest... Ok, maybe not thrown out the rest. I'd have enjoyed it immensely...

                  Oh, yeah, I would have saved the fat and thrown out the rest...

                  Ok, maybe not thrown out the rest. I'd have enjoyed it immensely. But the fat? Yeah, save it.

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