Pork belly is the fatty part of the pig. In some cuisines, it is deep fried and served as a main dish. In other countries, they marinate the meat with some soy sauce, garlic, and chili flakes and then grill it. It is heavily laden with fat and a 100 gram serving of this food contains about 520 calories, with 92% fat and 8% protein.

It is not healthy to eat this tasty part of the pig on a regular basis. True, it is as good as bacon, but you have to discipline yourself from eating too much of this good stuff. Below is a delicious recipe of pork belly. The goodness of this dish comes from a slow process of cooking, thus, making the meat very tender and having that melts in your mouth goodness.

Process of Cooking

1)      The first things to do are to remove the bones from the meat and cut the meat into half.

2)      Make a sachet from a selection of fragrant and flavorful spices like thyme, cloves, star anise, and coriander. As much as possible, use the fresh herbs. But if not available, you can substitute dried herbs and the food will turn as good. You have to increase the amount of dried herbs because they are not as flavorful as compared to fresh herbs. Place the herbs in a cheesecloth and tie securely.

3)      Coat both sides of the pork belly with kosher salt. Place it in a deep pan and add in the cheesecloth with the herbs. Add a little amount of water and simmer for about thirty to forty-five minutes. The simmering process will make the meat very tender.

4)      After simmering, place the pan in the oven and bake it for three hours at 300 degree temperature. You need to bake it for three hours in order to make it very tender. The pork belly will also absorb all the goodness of the various herbs.

5)      After baking, remove the meat from the pan and allow it to drain. Let it cool.

6)      Once it is cooled, cover it with parchment paper and refrigerate for three hours. You need to refrigerate it because it will make the skin crispier.

7)      After three hours, cut the meat in bite-sized pieces. Place them in barbecue sticks and fry in hot oil and they are ready to be served.

Good food requires a long process of cooking. You can cut the hours in half by using a pressure cooker, but the taste will not be as good. You need patience when preparing this delicious and sinful recipe of pork belly, but the wait is worthy because you come up with a product that is tasty and tender. The combination of the crispiness of the skin, the butter-like texture of the fat and the very tender meat part will make you want to indulge and forget about your diet. This dish is best served with rice or mashed potatoes and some steamed veggies on the side.