"Courtesy of David Chang, legendary chef behind the Momofuku empire, this recipe calls for cured and slowly roasted pork belly"
David Chang’s Momofuku Pork Belly
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Prep time: 2hrs 15mins
Cook time: 22hrs
Serves or Makes: 6
Recipe Card
ingredients
- 3 pounds skinless pork belly
- 1/4 cup salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
Method
Step 1
Combine the salt, sugar, and pepper. Evenly rub the mixture around the pork belly and place in a roasting pan. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, but no longer. If you’re in a pinch, a minimum of 6 hours will get the job done. Ideally, you should begin this process the day before you plan on making this dish.
Step 2
Heat an oven to 450°. Remove the pork belly from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Discard any liquid from the roasting pan and shake off any excess salt, sugar, and pepper. Roast, fat side up, at 450° for 1 hour. It’s going to get smoky, so it’s fine if you need to cut the cooking time down during this step. You can make up for it in the next step.
Step 3
Turn the temperature down to 250° and continue cooking for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Baste the pork in its own fat a couple of times during this process. Once its cooked for approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes in total in the oven, remove the pork belly and let it cool. Once cooled enough, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4-6 hours, until it’s completely cooled through.
Step 4
Cooling the pork belly completely through will help you slice and serve it more easily. Slice into 1/2″ thick pieces and heat in a frying pan for 1-2 minutes before serving. Remember, the pork is already cooked, so we’re simply just heating it up at this point. Don’t cook it anymore.