Ken’s Totally Awesome Pork Belly

Pork is an essential ingredient in Vietnamese cuisine – almost as important as the almighty cow (to make Pho!). And aside from making classic delicious Vietnamese dishes like Com Suong Nuong (Pork Chops with Broken Rice) and Bun Bo Hue (Tangy Pork Broth Noodle Soup), pork belly is a luxurious ingredient meant to be cooked with the best ingredients.

Here’s our favorite oven roasted pork belly recipe (for those cold winter nights), which goes great with a hearty potato and carrot side or a simple salad and rice. Rice of course helps sop up the delicious sauces that will drip out of the roasting pan when you’re done 🙂

Serves 4-6

11 pounds slab pork belly, keep the skin on!

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup freshly chopped scallions

1 teaspoon olive oil, for brushing

1/2 cup Brown Sugar Ginger Glaze Saucey Sauce

3 medium carrots

3 russet potatoes, unpeeled

1 medium head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled

1 medium vidalia onion

Method

1. Make the pork: Mix all of the Brown Sugar Ginger Glaze Saucey Sauce, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of black pepper in a bowl. Rub the pork with the mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours, or overnight.
2. Chop veggies into hearty 1-2 inch chunks, keeping the potato skins on.
3. Pour half the oil over the top of the skin of the pork belly, sprinkle over ½ of the Brown Sugar Ginger Glaze Saucey Sauce, salt and pepper mixture and rub in, pour over the remaining oil and then really rub this into the skin so that everything gets between the skin and down onto the meat.
4. Wash the roughly chopped carrots and potatoes well and throw these into the base of your roasting dish. Add the whole garlic cloves.
5. Peel and cut the onion into large wedges. throwing these into too.
6. Put into your oven for 10-15 minutes at 425°F or until the skin of the belly starts to bubble and is golden brown.
7. Turn the oven temperature down to 325°F then roast for another 1.5 hours.
8. Remove the meat carefully from the oven and test to see if it pulls apart easily. If not put back in the oven.
9. If you want a bit more of a crackly pork skin, turn the pork belly skin side up and leave in another 15 minutes (keep an eye on it!)
10. When the meat is ready, remove from the oven and let it rest.
11. Slice into 1 inch pieces to serve.
12. Place your veggies on a plate and put sliced pork belly on bed of veggies. Dip pieces into Brown Sugar Ginger Glaze Saucey Sauce and enjoy your delicious porky creation!