Oven-Roasted Crispy Pork Belly

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 09/28/24
Tested by
Diana Andrews
Diana Andrews
Tested by Diana Andrews
Diana has served as head recipe developer and editor for the Emmy-nominated PBS series Moveable Feast, food editor and test kitchen manager at Fine Cooking Magazine, and recipe developer and product tester at Food Network. 
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 2 hrs 55 mins
Total: 3 hrs 5 mins
Servings: 6 to 8 servings

Pork belly is a fatty piece of meat that is often used to make bacon and pancetta. However, it can also be roasted, resulting in flavorful and tender pork covered with delicious crackling. It's that dual texture (often in a single bite) that makes it irresistible and guaranteed to please everyone at the dinner table.

Crispy Slow-Roasted Pork Belly

The Spruce Eats / Maxwell Cozzi

This roasted pork belly recipe is simple, using nothing more than basic seasonings and extra-virgin olive oil. The long, slow roasting makes for tender meat, and the increased oven temperature near the end of the cooking time helps create a crispy skin.

Serve this pork belly with beans, black-eyed peas, scalloped potatoes, or mac and cheese.

Tips for Making Roasted Pork Belly Recipe

  • Dry out the skin - Allow the pork belly to rest in the fridge, uncovered, for about 4 hours before you plan to cook it, after you rub it with oil and season it with salt and pepper. The skin will dry out and result in a crispier crackling.
  • Chill the pork - Make sure the pork is cold when you score it so it's easier to cut.
  • Placing the belly skin-side up is essential to tender meat because the fat renders while it cooks.
  • Adjust cooking time - For pork belly that weighs significantly more or less than 2 pounds or if your oven tends to run hot. The USDA's food safety guidelines state that the minimum safe internal temperature for whole pork cuts is 145 F.
  • Save the pork fat - You can strain the rendered pork fat in the baking sheet through a fine mesh strainer and save it for future use. Keep it in the refrigerator or freezer and use it the same way you would use bacon fat: toss with potatoes to roast in the oven, baste turkey or chicken, add to hot vinaigrettes, or use for general frying and sauteing.
What You'll Need For Making Roasted Pork Belly Recipe
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A Sharp Knife
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A Sturdy Sheet Pan
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A Meat Thermometer

"This slow-roasted pork belly recipe delivers the ultimate combination of rich, meltingly tender meat and crisp crackled skin in every bite." —Diana Andrews

Crispy Slow-Roasted Pork Belly Tester Image
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Ingredients

  • 2 pounds pork belly with skin

  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients to make slow-roasted pork belly

    The Spruce Eats / Maxwell Cozzi

  2. Heat the oven to 350 F/180 C. Place a rack (such as a cooling rack) on a rimmed baking sheet. With a sharp knife, make several parallel cuts across the skin of 2 pounds pork belly, 1/4 to 1/2-inch apart. Cut through the skin and fat but not into the meat.

    A piece of pork belly with score marks on the fat

    The Spruce Eats / Maxwell Cozzi

  3. Sprinkle the pork all over with 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle with 1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and rub it all into the pork.

    A piece of scored pork belly topped with salt, pepper, and olive oil

    The Spruce Eats / Maxwell Cozzi

  4. Place the pork on the rack, skin-side up.

    A seasoned piece of pork belly skin-side up on a rack

    The Spruce Eats / Maxwell Cozzi

  5. Roast for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until the meat is very tender and falling apart. Increase the heat to 425 F and roast for 20 to 25 minutes longer to crisp the skin even more.

    A roasted piece of pork belly with crispy skin

    The Spruce Eats / Maxwell Cozzi

  6. Remove the pork from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Slice thinly, using the cuts in the skin as guides.

    A platter of slow-roasted pork belly with crispy skin, cut into slices

    The Spruce Eats / Maxwell Cozzi
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
361 Calories
28g Fat
0g Carbs
26g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 361
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 28g 36%
Saturated Fat 9g 47%
Cholesterol 95mg 32%
Sodium 225mg 10%
Total Carbohydrate 0g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 26g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 53mg 4%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 274mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)