This soy glazed pork belly is melt in your mouth tender and coated with a sticky sweet glaze with just a hint of spice! It is perfect served on a bed of rice and is surprisingly easy to make.
There are so many reasons why I love this pork belly recipe. The first is how little effort it takes to make. All you need to do is braise it for a few hours, cut it, then sauté it in a glaze and you are good to go. It is perfect for the weekend when you can set it for a while and finish it up when you are ready to eat. This is also a great meal prep idea, and the pork belly freezes well too. Just defrost and toss it in some glaze and you are good to go.
In this recipe
There aren’t a lot of ingredients in this recipe and many of them do not require much work which makes this recipe perfect for those that don’t have a lot of time to cook.
Pork belly: you can use either strips or the whole slab of pork belly. To ensure more even cooking slice the slab into strips. You want to make sure there is no rind on the pork belly.
Soy sauce: I use tamari for a GF sauce and a nice flavor however you can use dark soy sauce as well.
Lemongrass: will add citrus and lemon flavor to the broth and pork before cooking.
Assorted peppers: will add heat to the dish. If you would like a less spicy version either cut in half or completely omit.
Braising the pork
The first thing that you want to do is to braise the pork. While you could cook the pork belly right away you will not get that melt in your mouth texture without this step first. Not only does this tenderize the meat but it also imparts flavor to it. By adding the ginger, lemongrass, and other spices and peppers you will have a fragrant broth that will make the pork taste even better. As an added bonus this broth can be used to make a nice soup base.
Sear the pork belly.
Once the pork belly has been braised and is really tender it is time to cut it into chunks. I like to make them about 1 inch wide or long depending on how the belly was sliced. Then once they are ready you will want to sear each side of the pork belly. This will impart a nice crisp texture as well as additional flavor to the pork belly. Once all sides are brown you are ready for the glaze.
Time to glaze it up!
Once the pork is ready then you will want to add the garlic and ginger and cook until they are fragrant. This is the next part is best part, you can add everything else all at once and cook until the glaze thickens and coats all of the pork belly. There isn’t a lot of work here just stir occasionally. If you had some rice cooking then you are good to go for a nice easy and comforting meal.
Looking for other pork recipes?
Soy Glazed Pork Belly
Equipment
- Dutch oven or large pot
- Sauté pan
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
Braised Pork Belly
- 2 ½ pounds pork belly rindless, sliced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup rice wine
- 2 ounces lemongrass quartered
- 1 tablespoon ginger sliced
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon garlic sliced
- 2 star anise whole
Glaze
- 3 tablespoons tamari sauce or dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon ginger minced
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 2 serrano peppers thinly sliced
Instructions
- Slow braising the pork belly
- In a Dutch oven combine the broth, rice wine, dried peppers, anise stars, lemon grass, sliced garlic and sliced ginger. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add the pork belly and cover. Cook for 3 hours.
- Using a spider strainer remove the pork belly. The broth can be reserved for making soup or ramen.
- Cut the pork belly into cubes.
- In a pan heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork belly and brown on each side. Add the garlic and ginger until browned. Add the soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, and peppers. Cook until the glaze thickens and coats the pork.
- Serve over a bed of rice with sliced serrano peppers if desired.
Nutrition
