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Simple Pork Belly Recipe

Pork belly is an amazing cut that everyone should know how to cook. This simple pork belly recipe can be prepared for a weekly meal or special occasion. by Marla Starr, updated January 5, 2017 Posted on August 3, 2016

Paleo Recipe Simple Baked Paleo Pork Belly
Marla Starr
Marla Starr is the founder of Paleo Porn, co-author of Pigskin Paleo and Owner of Starr Fitness. Marla is a Certified Personal Trainer, 200HR Certified Yoga Instructor, a Certified Barre & SUP/SUP Yoga Instructor offering Personal Training & Small Group Fitness classes both in person and virtually. In addition to all of the above she is also the Executive Producer of Minimalism. Please enjoy all the recipes in the Paleo Porn recipe archives!

There is nothing better than pork belly. Nothing.

If you’ve never had it, or never cooked it before, it’s time for you to rectify that situation. Stat. This simple pork belly recipe will help you do just that.

I was pretty sure I had shared a pork belly recipe in the past but apparently that was just a pan fried pork belly and spinach salad rather than just pork belly in general.

Simple Pork Belly RecipeSimple Pork Belly Recipe

In a recent email newsletter to The Paleo Porn Family I posed the following question: “What is the one thing that you wish existed that would make your Paleo life easier?” and several of the responses were simple paleo recipes.

At that response I realized that a lot of the recipes that make it to this blog are ones that I am proud of or that feature a more unusual ingredient that people wouldn’t normally pick up. I do that on purpose to help broaden your day to day recipes.

That is the teacher in me, trying to increase your kitchen literacy.

If when you go to the grocery store, you always pick up the same old things, I hope that when you come across one of my recipes that it inspires you to learn something new about an ingredient you’ve never worked with before.

Simple Always Wins

The problem with the way I’ve approached sharing my recipes is that I never think to share the simple stuff I’m making on a regular basis. I tend to share these simple recipes as food porn on our social media platforms instead of recording and sharing the recipes here on the blog.

I also forget that not everyone has the same understanding of the kitchen as I do. And some people just don’t have the same amount of time to devote to learning something new.

And that’s when I realized I had not shared this simple paleo pork belly recipe yet with you!

If you take a scroll through our Instagram account, you’ll likely find that pork belly (and oxtail) vie for the majority of our regular meals.

Went with a friend to Costco last Friday and left with 10lbs of pork belly. (We're about halfway thru) ???? #nomnomnom #porkyporkpork #porkbelly #paleo #PaleoPorn

A photo posted by Paleo Porn (@paleoporn) on Apr 4, 2016 at 11:36am PDT

Where To Find Pork Belly

The best resource, of course, is to get local pork belly straight from the farm. Here in Chicago we have a local resource for our meat thanks to Nature’s Choice Farm though there are several other options available for pasture-raised pork in our area.

If you don’t have access (or time) to source locally, straight from a farmer, the next best choice would be to seek out a butcher or local heath food store. Whole Foods tends to have pork belly off and on. No matter where you shop, if you ask at the meat counter they will tell you what they have available and when. You’ll typically have to order pork belly by the pound so they can cut a chunk off the slab for you.

On a whim one day, while taking a field trip to Costco with a friend (since we don’t have a membership) I found a huge amount of pork belly (not pasture-raised, mind you which I was perfectly fine with) that I simply couldn’t pass up. We were dining on swine for over a week with that giant cut and it was amazing!

Had a fantastic Interval class at Daley Method today followed by restorative & meditation yoga. Was introduce to @doterra Passion EO and absolutely loved it! Came home feeling energized ???? and immediately hit the kitchen to make some pork belly & lemon roasted potatoes. Now it's time to get some work done! #letsdothis #paleo #porkyporkpork #paleoporn @daileymethod @tdmelmhurst

A photo posted by Paleo Porn (@paleoporn) on Jan 19, 2016 at 11:30am PST

Know Your Cut

If you’re unfamiliar with this cut, you might be wondering if pork belly is in fact from the belly of a pig? And it is!

Pork 101
Photo Courtesy of Modern Farmer

What you might not realize is that bacon is pork belly that has been cured, smoked, and sliced. And you can actually make homemade bacon with your chunk of pork belly if you wanted to experiment with a kitchen project. Bill & Hayley at Primal Palate have a recipe they’ve experimented with for makin’ bacon, if you’re up to give it a go.

I’ve never made it myself because we don’t own a smoker but I have cooked fresh smoked pork chops, thanks to the folks at Local Foods in Chicago for doing the smoking part for me and OMG does a smoker create some amazing flavor!

Simple Pork Belly Recipe

This Recipe Couldn’t Be Simpler

I promise you have nothing to fear with this recipe, especially if you’ve never cooked pork belly before. It truly is a simple, delicious and hearty meal.

Once you salt the slab of swine (and optionally season with whatever herbs and seasonings you would like) simply slice a few shallow cuts on both sides of the meat to let the juices flow while it’s cooking and within an hour or so you’ll have an amazing meal, ready to rock the dinner table.

Special Occassion or Weekday Meal

You don’t have to save this meal for a special occassion but it does look pretty fancy to guests. I served pork belly and Greek potatoes on New Year’s Eve to usher in 2016 but as I said, you’ll find me making pork belly on a weeknight as well.

It’s quite versatile and a really filling meal, since there’s lots of tasty fat in this cut. And that’s why you want to source from a pasture-raised and local place, whenever possible.

Simple Pork Belly Recipe

Simple Baked Paleo Pork Belly

Yield: Serves 3-4

Ingredients

  • 3lb pasture-raised pork belly
  • coarse ground sea salt, to taste
  • garlic powder, to taste
  • herbes de Province, to taste (optional)
  • bouquet garni, to taste (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Add the pork belly to a 3-quart glass oblong baking dish.
  3. Use a sharp knife to cut shallow strokes on a diagonal across the belly. Use your other hand to hold the meat together as you cut diagonal strokes in the opposite direction. This should create diamond pieces, similar to a basket weave, on the belly. Flip it over and duplicate on the other side. Be sure to make shallow cuts otherwise you'll have tiny pieces instead of one giant slab. If this happens, no worries simply spread the pieces out in the dish and cut back on the cooking time.
  4. Season both sides with sea salt and garlic powder and rub both into the cuts. If you have a dried herb mix available such as herbes de Province or Bouquet Garni or maybe a single favorite like savory leaves or oregano, shake some of the dried herbs on both sides as well. You can also use fresh herbs but it will take a lot more to flavor than using dried herbs.
  5. Place the meat fat side up in the baking dish so the delicious fat flows down through the slab while it cooks. Transfer the tray to the oven and bake for 60-75 minutes. Check after an hour to see how it looks and continue cooking if it doesn't look crisp on the edges or fully cooked.
  6. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes then slice and eat. Serve sliced belly with pan juices drizzled on top along with a side salad or your favorite veggies. If you have any juices left in the pan when you're done, transfer them to a glass jar and once cooled, store in the fridge and thank me later. (Just like leftover bacon grease, use this leftover pork fat to cook veggies, eggs...you name it!)
  7. Enjoy! :)

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About the Author Marla Starr

Marla Starr is the founder of Paleo Porn, co-author of Pigskin Paleo and Owner of Starr Fitness. Marla is a Certified Personal Trainer, 200HR Certified Yoga Instructor, a Certified Barre & SUP/SUP Yoga Instructor offering Personal Training & Small Group Fitness classes both in person and virtually. In addition to all of the above she is also the Executive Producer of Minimalism. Please enjoy all the recipes in the Paleo Porn recipe archives!

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