Crispy Pork Belly Bites
Cubes of pork belly roasted until the fat renders and the edges turn shatteringly crisp, served with a punchy garlic-chile dipping sauce and a cool smashed cucumber salad.
Nutrition per serving
about 6 bites with salad and sauce- Net carbs
- 2.3g
- Calories
- 607kcal
- Protein
- 12g
- Fat
- 61g
- Total carbs
- 3.4 g
- Fiber
- 0.5 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Sticky chili-garlic glaze: The crisp cubes are tossed in a glossy sweet-and-spicy glaze for sticky, lacquered bites.
- While the pork finishes, simmer the allulose, tamari, sriracha, garlic and lime juice in a small saucepan 2–3 minutes, until syrupy. Toss the hot pork in the glaze and return it to the rack in the oven for 2–3 minutes to set.
Ssam-style lettuce wraps: Wrap the hot pork in cool lettuce leaves with kimchi and a drizzle of the dipping sauce, in the style of Korean bossam.
- Set out the lettuce leaves, kimchi, dipping sauce and cucumber salad. Tuck a few pork bites and a spoonful of kimchi into each leaf, drizzle with the sauce and eat in one or two bites.
- Pork belly
- Garlic-chile dipping sauce
- Smashed cucumber salad
- Nice to have (optional)
- Pork belly
- Garlic-chile dipping sauce
- Smashed cucumber salad
- Also add
- Nice to have (optional)
- Pork belly
- Garlic-chile dipping sauce
- Smashed cucumber salad
- Also add
- Nice to have (optional)
Estimated cost $14.71 for 8 servings ($1.84 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and set a wire rack inside a foil-lined rimmed sheet pan. Pat the pork belly cubes very dry with paper towels — surface moisture is the enemy of crisp.
-
Toss the cubes with the salt, pepper, garlic powder and smoked paprika and spread them on the rack with space between each piece.
-
Roast 45–55 minutes, until the fat has rendered and the edges are deep golden and crisp. For extra crunch, broil 2–3 minutes at the end, watching closely. Pork belly is far past the 145°F (63°C) safe point long before it crisps.
-
Meanwhile, stir the dipping sauce ingredients together until the sweetener dissolves.
-
For the salad, lay the cucumber on a board and whack it along its length with a rolling pin until it cracks open. Tear into bite-size chunks, toss with the salt and let drain in a sieve for 10 minutes. Toss with the vinegar and sesame oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
-
Let the pork rest on the rack for 5 minutes so the crust sets, then pile it onto a platter with the dipping sauce and cucumber salad alongside.
Tips for success
-
Look for skinless pork belly with even layers of meat and fat; a butcher or Asian market will usually cut it to order. - Air fryer: cook at 400°F (200°C) in a single layer for 18–22 minutes, shaking the basket every 5 minutes.
- Save the rendered fat from the pan. It is excellent for roasting vegetables or frying cauliflower fried rice.
Nice to have, not needed
- An air fryer crisps the cubes fastest (see tips) — the oven-and-rack method works just as well.
Storage & meal prepMeal-prep friendly
- Keeps 4 days in the fridge
- Doesn’t freeze well
Reheat: Re-crisp in a 400°F (200°C) oven or air fryer for 5–6 minutes; the microwave makes it chewy.
Prep tip: Store the pork, dipping sauce and cucumber salad separately; the salad is best within 2 days.
Refrigerate up to 4 days. Re-crisp in a 400°F (200°C) oven or air fryer for 5–6 minutes; the microwave makes it chewy.
Variations
2 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosSticky chili-garlic glaze
FlavorThe crisp cubes are tossed in a glossy sweet-and-spicy glaze for sticky, lacquered bites.
- + 3 tbsp allulose
- + 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
- + 2 tsp sriracha
- + 2 cloves garlic
- + 1 tbsp lime juice
3.1 g net · 614 kcal · 12 g protein · 61 g fat · ≈$2.03 per serving (+0.8 g net carbs vs the original)
Ssam-style lettuce wraps
VeggiesWrap the hot pork in cool lettuce leaves with kimchi and a drizzle of the dipping sauce, in the style of Korean bossam.
- + 2 small heads butter or red leaf lettuce
- + 2 cups kimchi
3 g net · 618 kcal · 12 g protein · 61 g fat · ≈$2.60 per serving (+0.7 g net carbs vs the original)
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