Should pork belly be cooked fast or slow?

Cook this pork belly recipe slowly, to allow the pork belly fat to slowly melt and also to break down the tissue, and make the meat extra tender. Make sure to sear the meat before transferring it to the slow cooker though, this is a must.

Can you put raw pork in the slow cooker?

While it's tempting to just throw the raw pork in the slow cooker to save time, I always recommend searing the pork before putting it in the slow cooker. Searing the meat will help to lock in the juice of the meat and will result in super tender meat (trust me, it's worth the extra effort!).

Can you overcook pork belly in a slow cooker on low?

It is very difficult (nearly impossible) to overcook pork belly on the low setting on the slow cooker. The longer you cook it, the softer it will become, and past some point, the meat will be so soft you can pull it apart.

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Slow Cooker Pork Belly Recipe

Description

This melt-in-your-mouth slow cooker pork belly recipe infused with garlic & herbs is a whole new level of cooking pork belly! This recipe is incredibly juicy, tender, and super easy to prepare following some simple steps. It is ideal for serving along with veggies, rice, tacos, or wraps, and makes stellar leftovers to eat throughout the week.

Ingredients

Units Scale

1.2kg piece of pork belly
Small handful of fresh rosemary
Small handful of fresh thyme
3 garlic cloves (peeled and diced)
1/4 tsp of ground coriander (optional)
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil + extra for searing the meat
1/5 cup of beef stock (can be substituted for veggie or chicken stock)
1/2 tsp of ground black pepper
1/2 tsp of sea salt

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Start by preparing the garlic-herbs mixture: Add the diced garlic and herbs to the mortar and pestle and crush. Add the 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 tsp of salt, 1/4 tsp of pepper, and ground coriander, and keep crushing until they're nicely combined.
Prepare the meat: Using a very sharp knife, make cuts on the skin of the pork belly in a diamond pattern (see photo in post). The cuts need to be the depth of the whole skin & fat layer. Add 1/4 tsp of salt & 1/4 tsp of pepper to the whole piece of pork belly.
Sear the meat: Heat a large skillet or non-stick pan on high heat with a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Sear the pork on all sides until golden brown on the pork belly skin side and dark brown on the other sides. It is super important that all sides (including thinner sides and ends of the pork belly piece) are well seared - see notes below.
Rub herbs and slow-cook: Add the pork belly piece to the slow cooker. Rub the herbs and garlic mixture along the whole piece of pork belly, spreading very well in between the cuts on the skin side. This will ensure the delicious combination of garlic and herbs soaks the entire piece while cooking. The pork belly skin side must end up facing up. Add the beef stock (or veggie/ chicken stock) and a few more herbs to the slow cooker, and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
Slice: Once the piece is cooked, you can cut pork belly slices of around 1.5-2cm thick. They're so tender and I promise they will literally melt in your mouth. You're in for a treat.
NOTE! I usually get rid of the skin of the pork belly, but you could also do crispy skin using the oven grill.

Notes

My top tip is to sear the meat very well! Just don't skip this step and don't try to rush it either. The skin side needs to end up golden brown and the rest of the sides need to be dark brown. Searing the meat properly will lock in the juices and enhance the delicious flavor of this recipe. Just do it properly 🙂

MUST DO! It's important to leave the pork belly skin side facing up while cooking, so the fat melts with the garlic and herbs mixture and soaks the entire piece of pork belly. Are you drooling already? 🤩

Top tip to simplify the ingredients: Use only one type of herbs and garlic. Use only fresh rosemary or thyme and garlic. No need to use ground coriander either!

Serving suggestions: serve with some Asian-style green beans and cauliflower mash. Cut in small pieces and make some delicious tacos topped with some air fryer peppers sliced. Serve with steamed rice for an easy dish.

Storage: Store the leftover pork belly in an airtight container for up to 5-6 days in the fridge. This recipe is also suitable for freezing in an airtight container for up to three months.

Keywords: pork belly recipe slow cooker, slow cooker pork belly, slow cooker pork belly recipe, pork belly in slow cooker