Glazed pork belly or Chinese pork belly bites is one of the most flavourful recipes on the blog. With three cooking steps and only a few ingredients, you will get deliciously sticky pork belly bites to enjoy.
Caramelized or glazed pork belly bites is a relatively easy recipe to cook and the result is an outstanding taste and look. What I feel responsible to warn you about is the amount of smoke and smell it may cause in your kitchen. If you plan to invite someone over for a romantic dinner, you should skip this recipe and go for “cleaner” recipes such as tortellini Alfredo with broccoli, air fryer salmon, or a delicate salad such as the burrata Caprese with roasted tomatoes.
Despite the mess you may have to clean after cooking the glazed pork belly, you will forget about the hustle with the first bite you take. The sauce made out of soy sauce, honey, and the sugar caramelizes the pork belly until beautifully shiny golden and gives it an intense flavor and crispy texture. Moreover, you can transform this recipe into a keto recipe if you substitute sugar and honey with monk fruit sweetener or yacon syrup. Let me walk you through the steps one by one for you to get that perfectly glazed pork belly bites.
How to cook pork belly – the first step
The first step to getting to that perfectly glazed pork bite is boiling the pork belly slices. Fill a boiling pan with cold water and add the pork belly slices, one sliced ginger finger, 3-4 cloves of peeled garlic, bay leaves, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Cover the pan with a lid and let it simmer until cooked, an approximate 30-40 minutes.
Within this timeframe, the meat will get infused with the aromas and tastes from the ingredients added to the water. It will be a perfect balance of tastes mainly for the pork meat. Skip the salt because you’ll be adding the soy sauce later on which will add just enough saltiness to the glazed pork bites. As you can see, it is a very easy step to accomplish. While the meat is getting tender and cooked, prepare the sauce – the actual responsible for the glazing part.
How to prepare the glazing sauce?
For the sauce, take a bowl and mix the following ingredients:
- sunflower oil
- soy sauce
- honey
- brown sugar
Alternatively, if you like the glazed pork belly bites to be a bit spicy, sprinkle some chilly flaked into the sauce. Also, as I said above, substitute the honey and sugar with monk fruit sweetener or yakon syrup for a keto version of the recipe. Mix well and put aside, you will shortly need it.
How to sear pork belly bites- the second step?
As soon as the pork belly has boiled and become tender, remove from the pan and slice the meat into bite-sized using a sharp knife and a fork. Remember the pork belly is hot, be cautious when slicing it. Once you have the belly cut into small bites, it’s time to sear it.
Add a few tablespoons of sunflower oil to the pan, wait until it heats up well then sear the bites for 2-3 minutes until beautifully crispy. For a heightened visual effect, you may drop a tablespoon of vodka or rum into the hot pan to create a burst of flames. That’s absolutely unnecessary, you will get the delicious glazed pork belly either way.
How to make the glazed pork belly bites?
The final step of the cooking process is caramelizing the pork belly bites. That supposes to pour the previously made sauce into the hot pan with belly bites and cook it for additional 5 minutes until it becomes sticky. You may lower the heat to medium-low and let it simmer till you reach the desired effect.
How to serve glazed pork belly?
Sprinkle the glazed pork belly bites with some sesame seeds for an even more inviting and appealing meal. You can serve the glazed pork belly bites alone or on top of some rice. If you choose to accompany the belly bites with a refreshing salad such as the Asian cucumber salad, you will have an unbeatable combo as a meal.
If you are a pork dishes fan, don’t miss some of our most delicious recipes:
- Air Fryer Pork Belly
- Juicy Pork Steak Bites in a Garlicky Butter
- Roasted Pork Tenderloin
- Instant Pot Pork Steak
- Instant Pot pork chops with mushroom gravy
- Pork chops casserole
Glazed Pork Belly Bites
Ingredients
- 14 oz pork belly preferably sliced
- 1 finger fresh ginger
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 pieces bayleaves
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
Glazing sauce
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes optional
Instructions
How to make the glazing sauce
- Use a bowl to mix and stir well all the ingredients: sunflower oil, soy sauce, honey and brown sugar. Add some chilli flakes if desired
How to cook glazed pork bites
- Boil in water the pork belly with sliced ginger finger, garlic cloves, bay leaves, rice vinegar, and soy sauce for about 30-40 minutes or until tender
- Remove from the pan and slice the meat into bite-sized using a sharp knife and a fork
- Add a few tablespoons of sunflower oil to a pan, wait until it heats up well then sear the bites for 2-3 minutes until beautifully crispy
- Pour the glazing sauce into the hot pan with belly bites and cook it for additional 5 minutes until it becomes sticky
