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About This Braised Pork Belly Recipe for Tacos
We braise skinless pork belly in a combination of classic aromatics, chipotles in Adobo sauce, Mexican spices and a dark lager. We then slice the ultra tender meat and sear it to achieve perfectly crispy pork belly slices.
The cooking process is easy but it does take time, mostly inactive as far as you are concerned. Your patience is key and is duly rewarded by the final results. Once you make this recipe successfully once we are confident you will reach out for it again and again and not just to make pork belly tacos but also pork belly ramen, rice bowls, pork belly sandwiches, arepas or simply to enjoy the pure delight of a perfectly tender, crispy pork belly slice paired with an effervescent beer.
How Do You Braise Pork Belly?
Most people start by asking themselves why even braise pork belly if you are after crispy, tender pieces of it? This is what braising does.
Braising pork belly means cooking it at a low temperature in a small amount of liquid with the gentle moist heat of the braising liquid slowly bathing the cut of pork as it renders excess fat and absorbs delicious flavors. The pork belly cooks through to a dreamy, succulent tenderness and is primed for a high heat finish to give it a crispy exterior.
Pork belly is braised just like any other cut of tough meat - slowly, at a low temperature and with love and patience.
Ingredients
Pork belly slab. Choose a center cut piece if possible, skinless. It should have a good balance of meat and fat. Above you see a slab that weighed just over 4 pounds and we were able to get two meals of four servings each after braising it.
Aromatics. Yellow onion, carrots and celery ribs along with a few garlic cloves. Together they form a classic savory combination well suited to the porky flavor of the cut.
Cooking oil. To sear the pork belly before it renders its own fat. A neutral oil such as vegetable or sunflower works well.
Seasonings. Before you sear the belly you will season it really well with kosher salt and black pepper. Then you will add seasonings to the braising liquid - we like to use cumin and Mexican oregano.
Braising liquid ingredients. Chipotles in Adobo sauce add acidity, umami and a bit of heat to the braising liquid which is mostly comprised of a dark beer, for its deep caramely, toasty flavors. You can substitute with beef or vegetable broth but using dark beer creates a richer liquid in our experience. Our go-to is Modelo Negra, a take on German dunkel, but any dunkel or a black lager such as 1554 as you see shown above works really well.
How to Make Braised Pork Belly Step-by-Step
To begin with you need to prepare the pork belly slab you procured for braising. Perform the steps shown below:
- score the fat on top in a diamond pattern (to help it render better), trimming any excess fat - you want a uniform top layer.
- mix and apply the salt and pepper all over the slab, rubbing it in well in between the diamond pattern shapes.
- make a note of the principal direction in which the grain runs so that later you can try and cut against the grain (muscle fibers) in order to carve the pork belly in a way that ensures very tender slices.
Next, braise the pork belly. Follow the steps illustrated below:
- sear the fat capped side first in a bit of oil, ideally in the braiser where you will cook it, then sear the meaty bottom and set it aside temporarily.
- discard most of the rendered fat, lower the heat and saute the aromatics for a couple of minutes, work in the cumin, Mexican oregano and the chipotles.
- deglaze with the dark beer and add the whole quantity, then nestle in the pork belly fat side up, place the braiser lid on and transfer to a pre-heated 300 F oven to braise for about 3 to 4 hours until supremely tender (time depends on the size of cut).
- when satisfied with the tenderness, carefully remove the pork belly from the liquid and set it aside to rest and cool down, as shown.
How to Cut Braised Pork Belly
If you carve pork belly shortly after it has been braised, even if it has cooled down substantially, it will be so tender that it will be falling apart.
To make nicely shaped, crispy pork belly slices for tacos as you see in the pictures, you need to completly cool down the pork belly and chill it overnight. The fat will solidify and the next day it will be very easy to carve and sear.
That being said, speaking from personal experience, it is nearly impossible to resist freshly braised pork belly.
So we usually either braise two smaller pieces or cut a larger slab in two (cut with the grain so that later you can carve slices against it). Then we save one piece for tacos the next day (as described above) and ignore the fall-apart tenderness and slice the other one. Falling apart pork belly can still be seared, it just does not hold shape. But it is soo satisfying and soo delicious that we always enjoy it over a rice bowl or ramen or simply with a salad and some fries. Shape is not our priority:)
Consult the images below to gain visual understanding of the points just made:)
How to Make Crispy Pork Belly Slices
When you sear the braised, chilled pork belly slices use medium heat.
In that way the fat will render gradually and the slices will not brown too much. Be sure to sear the thick top edges as well, to crisp up their generous fat cap.
Leave searing the pork belly as the last thing before you are ready to serve the tacos. See below.
Taco Assembly Tips
To create tacos that let the tender and crispy pork belly shine but also accentuate its merits we recommend that you use:
- diced onion for crunch
- chipotle crema (simply mix equal part of blended chipotles in Adobo and sour cream)
- corn tortillas that have been warmed up in bacon fat or at least cooking oil so that they are supple and imbibed with extra flavor.
- other simple fixings such as jalapenos, avocado, crumbled cotija cheese, cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice.
TIP: Once again, we highly recommend that you work on the cold fixings first, then warm up the tortillas, set the table and all the toppings, pour the beer and finally sear the pork belly in order to enjoy the crispy slices in their full glory, still sizzling.
Storage and Reheating
It is possible even though not very probable that you have leftover pork belly slices. If so, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Reheat in a small pan over medium-low heat.
Freezing Braised Pork Belly
If you braised a large piece and used one half and want to freeze the rest to use in the near future, first chill it overnight in the refrigerator. Then wrap it up tightly with foil or plastic wrap, place it inside a freezer bag and freeze for up to two months. Thaw properly and slice when ready to make crispy pork belly slices again.
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Recipe
Braised Pork Belly (Tacos)
Ingredients
- pork belly 4 lbs, skinless*
- kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil
- 1 yellow onion medium
- 2 celery ribs
- 1 carrot large or 3-4 small carrots
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- ⅓ cup chipoltes in Adobo
- 12 oz dark beer**
Instructions
- Trim excess fat and score the pork belly fat cap in a diamond pattern. Season generously with kosher salt and black pepper, then allow it to reach room temperature. Pre-heat the oven to 300F.
- While the oven is preheating rough chop the onion, carrots, celery and garlic.
- In a braiser where the pork belly fits heat the oil over medium-high heat.*** Sear the diamond scored side first, until golden, then flip, sear the bottom and remove from the braiser temporarily.
- Discard most of the rendered fat, lower the heat to medium and briefly saute the prepeared vegetables, add the cumin, Mexican oregano and chipotles in Adobo, then deglaze with the beer and add the entire beer.
- Nestle the pork belly in the braising liquid, cover with the braiser lid and transfer to the oven.
- Braise for 3 to 4 hours, begin checking for tenderness after 3 hours and braise until you are satisfied with the texture. When pork belly is tender to your liking, remove it from the braiser and set it aside to rest and cool down.
- It is best to chill the pork belly overnight once it has cooled down completely. Then it slices easily and the slices can be crisped up in a skillet to a glorious, sizzling perfection. If you slice braised pork belly even as it has just cooled down its fall-apart tenderness will be evident and the slices will not hold shape (consider our slicing tips and crisping tips above).
- To serve tacos pepare diced onion, chipotle crema, crumbled Cotija cheese, sliced avocado and jalapenos and warm tortillas (consider the serving tips in the post). Sear the pork belly slices last.
Lindsay
The process could not have been simpler and I had never braised anything before. Yes, hubby and I did devour a good chunk of the freshly braised pork belly dosed in bbq sauce and with fresh bread rolls and coleslaw… Don’t ask:) Once I did refrigerate the half intended for tacos and seared it two days later it was another amazing experience. Pork belly is heavenly, we are fans and thank you for this easy way to create perfect meat.
Paul
As far as tender pork belly goes this was TRUTH!!! So easy to crisp afterwards. Thank you for explaining what is happening and my whole family is a fan of yours now!
Bella
We braised pork belly on New Year's Day to eat with sauerkraut. This recipe was perfect. We devoured the super tender just out of the braiser belly and saved the other half to make tacos today. Great results. I love the recipes from your site.