Creme Brulee Pork Belly Confit Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

How do you cook pork belly so it's not tough? ›

Preheat oven to 450°F. Roast pork belly for 30 minutes on the middle rack in a heavy, oven-safe pan or skillet, skin side up / fat side up. Reduce heat to 275°F and roast for an hour or more, until tender but not mushy. (Larger pieces of pork belly will take longer.

As The Food Lover's Companion explains it, it is “derived from an ancient method of preserving meat (usually goose, duck, or pork) whereby it is salted and slowly cooked in its own fat. The cooked meat is then packed into a crock or pot and covered with its cooking fat, which acts as a seal and preservative.”

If you roast for a total of 3 – 4 hours, you will get a “fall-a part tender”, pulled pork-type result.

The skin wasn't dry enough. Make sure to pat the pork completely dry before rubbing in the salt and oil as excess moisture will stop it from crisping up. It's important to score the skin if you want it really crisp. You'll need a sharp knife for this, or ask your butcher to do it for you.

Confit cooking may sound like a phrase plucked from fancy restaurants and exotic cuisines, but this technique is so simple you can do it from the comfort of your home. Confit cooking is an innovative technique you can use to prepare meats at relatively low temperatures to get a delicious and healthy meal.

Confit is a type of cooking method that involves cooking food, usually meat, in its own fat. The word "confit" comes from the French word "confire", which means "to preserve", and this cooking method was originally used as a way to preserve food by sealing it in fat.

While confit is most commonly seen with duck or goose legs—it makes sense, considering it's a technique that stems from southwest France—it's ideal for any number of meats that are suitable for low and slow cooking. That is, any meat with a good deal of connective tissue that begs for tenderizing.

It is a fact of life that dry skin crisps better than moist skin. Scotese's trick to crispy pork belly is to rub equal parts baking soda and salt into the skin—the combo of baking soda and salt will draw out moisture and set you up for success.

White Vinegar helps dry out the skin – but it has a secondary purpose of removing the odour! If you are prepared, place the Pork in the Fridge UNCOVERED overnight – the skin will dry out. When you pre-heat your oven, remove the pork from the fridge and let it return to room temperature.

We remove the hairs, clean it, boil it until just cooked, and marinate it. Then we dry the belly as much as possible. The drying means crispier skin. We also cut grooves and make holes in the skin, allowing the seasonings and oil to permeate better.

Is pork belly healthy? ›

Pork belly ranks high in collagen content, a protein crucial for maintaining healthy skin, joints, and connective tissues. Including collagen-rich foods like pork belly in your diet can contribute to the overall health and elasticity of your skin, and may even have anti-aging benefits.

If you've missed a step along the way and the skin hasn't crackled, don't give up. Cut it away from the meat and place it on a baking tray lined with foil, then brush with oil and sprinkle with salt. Cook under a preheated grill until the magic happens. Keep a close eye on it as it can easily burn.

Too often, people overcook pork belly, resulting to an overly tough or dry end-result. It's essential to remember that low and slow is the key when cooking pork belly.

Some people use meat tenderizer. Some people pound it with a hammer. Two popular ways is slow cooking by roasting in a oven, or simmering in a pot.

To tenderize pork before cooking it, try breaking up the tough muscle by hitting it with a meat mallet evenly across the surface of the meat. Then, if you want your pork to be extra tender, you can marinate it in a tenderizing marinade made with acids, like citrus juices, vinegar, or wine.