BBQ Pork Belly slices are an easy-to-make alternative to slow-roasted pork belly, with all the finger-licking satisfaction.
I have always had a love affair with pork belly, but no matter what method I try, I can’t seem to perfect the slow-roasted pork belly method. I’ve watched and rewatched Gordon Ramsey’s YouTube video, but alas it never turns out for me.
After the initial failed attempts, I set about trying to figure out how I could still enjoy pork belly at home without all the hassle and long hours of oven roasting.
That’s when I discovered pork belly strips. These little strips of pork cook up quickly, without the need for slow roasting.
But the end result is just as amazing. Maybe even more so because I didn’t have to struggle so hard to make it. They’re really easy to make compared to a whole pork belly.
I do think there is a direct relation between how much time it took to make and how much I like it. They have to remain proportional, or everything falls apart.
Where to Get Pork Belly Strips
You can purchase pork belly strips that have already been cut. I prefer a thickness of around 1 inch. Any thicker and it takes longer for the fat to render.
Look for strips that have an even amount of fat to meat. That way, they won’t end up too fatty or too dry.
If you can’t find pork belly strips in your grocery, you can purchase a full slab and cut the strips yourself. You could also ask the butcher to cut strips for you.
If you can’t find good meat in the cuts you like, we love the meat you can get from ButcherBox, which is an online subscription meat box. You can choose your cuts of meat to be delivered right to your door. All the meat is humanely-raised and healthy.
How to Make BBQ Pork Belly Strips
As promised, pork belly strips are incredibly easy to make. I like to bake them in the oven, but you can also grill them on the stovetop on a griddle pan, like this one. It gives the illusion of cooking outside on the grill, without the hassle of lighting up the grill.
Step One:
Add a simple olive oil, salt and pepper glaze to the ribs. Then lay them out on a baking tray.
Step Two:
Stick the tray in the oven for about 20 minutes, until they start to really sizzle and get a little browned.
Step Three:
Remove the tray from the oven and baste the tops of the pork belly strips with your BBQ sauce (try our homemade Bourbon BBQ sauce recipe). Flip them over and baste the other side too. Then stick them back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes.
40 minutes is usually as long as these strips need to cook. You don’t want them to get dried out, so leaving them in longer wouldn’t be a great idea, unless you lower the cooking temperature.
They should now be looking nice and crispy and bubbly. Remove them from the oven, baste with additional BBQ sauce and serve.
Wondering what to serve these with? Why not try one of these side dishes:
You can eat these pork belly slices on their own. They’re amazingly good alongside a bacon and corn salad, or with a wedge salad. Or you can get creative and make these pork belly tacos.
Easy as that!
Have you made pork belly before? How does your recipe differ from ours? Tell us what you love about them in the comments.
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BBQ Pork Belly Strips
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb pork belly strips
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 1/3 cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 385 degrees F.
- Whisk together the olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Coat the pork belly strips with the olive oil mixture.
- Place pork belly strips on a baking tray and put them in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Baste on both sides with bbq sauce.
- Bake for another 20 minutes. When the fat has become transluscent, they are ready to remove from the oven. They may need a few additional minutes to reach your desired crispiness.
- Remove from the oven and serve with rice or your favorite side dish.
Notes
- If you want your pork belly strips to turn out really fork-tender, you will need to cook them on a lower temperature for longer. This method is the “fast” way, and the meat part of the pork belly strips will be a bit tougher because of it.
Laura is a home cook who loves making new recipes and finding new favorite things to eat, whether at home or abroad. She also runs a popular travel blog and spends a lot of her time traveling for food.
Love this recipe..
Thanks for this. Do you find the fat causes lots of smoke when you cook the strips like this?
Hi Robyn, it’s never caused a lot of smoke for me. The grease can splatter in the oven and produce some smoke, but I try not to open the oven door while cooking, so it doesn’t let the smoke out.
To slow toast, what temperature and timing do you recommend? These look really good.
If you want to cook it slow, set the oven to 280 degrees and cook for one hour 30 minutes. This works best when the meat is covered with tin foil. When it’s done, you can crisp it up under the broiler, with or without BBQ sauce.