Cuban Crusted Pork Belly
This was the first time I made Pork Belly at home and it was epic. It was easy and fun to make and had amazing textures; from the cuban crust to the moist juicy meat. I added pickled onions and a few savory jams to give each bite variety and layers. This Pork Belly could be served as a main course or an App. Either way there won’t be leftovers 1 Pork Belly – Locally sourced of course!
Ingredients
For the Spice Rub
- 2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Smoke Salt – or regular Salt
- 1 1/2 tsp Peppercorns
- 1 Tablespoon Cumin
- 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 tspn Oregeno
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 1/2 tspn Crushed Red Pepper or go wild and add more
- 1 tspn ground Coriander
Mix together in a spice grinder or Pestle and Mortar
- 1/2 cup Olive Oil
- Juice of 1 lime
Instructions
- Completely cover the Pork Belly with all of the spice mix
- Step 3: Place on a wire rack on a cookie sheet and bake for 1.5 hours in a 325 degree oven or until the pork reaches 160.
- Step 4: turn oven to 475 degrees and return the Pork Belly for about 20 minutes. Mine stayed in a bit longer but I like it extra crunchy on the outside – just be careful not to char the seasoned crust too much.
- Step 5: Remove from oven, let it rest for 10 minutes and then slice it into 1/4 inch slabs
- Serve with your favorite accoutrements. I used Pickled Red Onions, a Thai Chili Jam and a Bacon Red Pepper Jam.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!