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Home » Entrees

Thai Braised Pork Belly

08/14/2015 Updated: 09/13/2019 By Karrie 19 Comments

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Thai Braised Pork Belly are tender pieces of pork slow cooked in a flavorful sauce of soy sauce, rice vinegar, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, and cilantro.  Serve it with jasmine rice and your favorite sauteed fresh veggies for an easy dinner.  Leftovers make the best fried rice too!

Thai Braised Pork Belly

"You had me at pork belly"- Dorothy in Jerry Maguire

Okay, I know she said "hello" but it should have been pork belly.  I mean seriously, it's pork belly y'all!

What else do you need in life besides some pork and fat??  I get all jelly in the knees over it, especially when it's slow cooked and oh so tender, like this Thai Braised Pork Belly.  I'm a big fan.

Thai Braised Pork Belly

What is pork belly?

Pork belly is the boneless cut of fatty meat from the belly of a pig.  It is commonly used for bacon or salt pork in the United States, but it's popularity has surged over the past several years in restaurants and is now being used in more recipes.  I've seen it go from being exclusively sold in Asian food markets to now being readily available in local grocery stores.

In college, I cooked a lot of Asian cuisine and fell in love with belly.  I couldn't get enough of it.  It seemed like weekly I was making Chinese crispy pork belly and braised belly.  A huge plus was that it was super cheap and fit right in with my student budget.

Sadly, the price of pork belly has pretty much tripled in price per pound due to demand.  The increase in price sucks big time for people like me, because pork belly addiction does not come cheap.

Regardless of price, I continue to buy (and eat) a lot of it and refuse to ration my pork belly consumption.  Not gonna do it.

Thai Braised Pork Belly

How to make the best braised pork belly

  • Look for a meaty belly with the skin-on for this dish (To cut the richness of the belly, I serve it with white jasmine rice and stir-fried crisp veggies).
  • Use a quality fish sauce.  The only fish sauce I ever use is Red Boat Premium Fish Sauce because it's all-natural, Paleo, and totally awesome.  I love it and use it on everything.
  • Go low and slow.  Pork belly should not be rushed, so don't try to rush it the process.
  • TIP!!  Make extra of the belly, rice, and veggies to make an easy fried rice for the next night's dinner.  (OMG!  I cannot stress enough how freaking awesome leftover Thai style braised pork belly is in fried rice.  Not. Kidding. At. All.)

Thai Braised Pork BellyAlthough this has nothing to do with pork belly, BUT we finished the camper renovation last weekend.   YAY!!  You have no idea how happy I am to finally be D-O-N-E with that darn camper.  I going to try to take some pictures today of it to write a post for next week because can't wait to show you all the result! 

Thai Braised Pork Belly

Hope you try this recipe for Thai Braised Pork Belly and don't forget to make a fried rice lunch or dinner with the leftovers the next day!

Thai Braised Pork Belly

Tender pieces of pork are slow cooked in a flavorful sauce and served with jasmine rice and your favorite sauteed fresh veggies for an easy dinner. Leftovers make the best fried rice too!
5 from 9 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Entree
Cuisine: Thai
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 829kcal
Author: Karrie | Tasty Ever After

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds meaty pork belly , skin-on and cut into 1" cubes
  • ½ cup cilantro , chopped
  • ½ cup water
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce (I use Red Boat brand)
  • 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar (plain vinegar only; no salt or sugar in ingredients on bottle's label)
  • 2 tablespoons dry sherry
  • 2 whole cloves of fresh garlic , minced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger , grated
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sucanat , can substitute brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 whole fresh lime
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Heat a heavy bottomed pot and over medium-high heat.  Add the pork belly and fry until all cubes are thoroughly browned.  Remove the excess oil from the pan.
  • Add all of the remaining ingredients (except the lime) to the browned pork belly in the pot and bring the sauce to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, stir well, and cover the pot with a lid.  Simmer until the liquid has reduced and the pork belly is tender, about 1 ½ hours.  Can skim off excess oil on top, if necessary.
  • Cut the fresh lime in half and squeeze the juice over the cooked pork belly. Serve with plain jasmine rice and stir-fried vegetables.

Recipe Notes & Tips:

  • To cut the richness of the belly, serve it with white jasmine rice and stir-fried crisp veggies.
  • Use the above leftovers (of pork belly, rice, and veggies) to make fried rice the next day!
Nutrition Facts
Thai Braised Pork Belly
Amount Per Serving
Calories 829 Calories from Fat 738
% Daily Value*
Fat 82g126%
Saturated Fat 29g145%
Cholesterol 108mg36%
Sodium 1351mg56%
Potassium 349mg10%
Carbohydrates 2g1%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 15g30%
Vitamin A 195IU4%
Vitamin C 3mg4%
Calcium 17mg2%
Iron 1.1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @tastyeverafter or tag #tastyeverafter
Thai Braised Pork Belly Recipe

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 ©  Tasty Ever After  All images and content are copyright protected, so please do not copy or claim my work as your own.  Please do not use any images or republish this recipe without prior permission.  If you want to reference this recipe, link directly back to this post.  Thank you.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Danielle

    February 05, 2022 at 8:34 pm

    5 stars
    Always get huge compliments when I make this! Love this recipe.

    Reply
  2. Chantelle

    December 17, 2020 at 10:08 am

    It’s simmering, i’m looking forward to tasting it, thanks for sharing the recipe, i’m sure it will be a family favourite for years to come.

    Reply
  3. Rachael Walter

    April 03, 2020 at 12:02 pm

    First time cooking pork belly and it won't be my last.This was to die for and I love the Thai flavors!Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply
  4. Christopher

    March 22, 2020 at 6:12 pm

    OMG!! I have made this twice and our guests have loved it every time....thank you so much for the recipe I will probably never eat pork belly any other way. YUUMMM!

    Reply
  5. Erica

    October 20, 2019 at 2:23 pm

    5 stars
    This was delicious! I love Thai food and especially braised pork anything. Have never cooked pork belly before but your recipe was straightforward and so easy to put together. It's a keeper!

    Reply
  6. Bobbie Meyer

    September 14, 2019 at 12:46 pm

    5 stars
    This was absolutely DELISH! Super tender and flavorful. We served it with steamed bok choy and brown rice. Can wait to make it again!

    Reply
  7. Gwen

    February 18, 2018 at 9:34 am

    5 stars
    I had a pork belly that I was going to roast but saw your recipe and thought Id try it instead. OMG braised pork belly is AMAZING!!! Served it with jasmine rice and steamed green beans and it was a hit all around!

    Reply
    • Karrie@tastyeverafter

      February 18, 2018 at 9:51 am

      So glad you tried the recipe Gwen and happy everyone liked it 🙂

      Reply
  8. Thien Gretchen

    August 27, 2015 at 4:58 pm

    I'm going to do it - this looks amazing. Thank you for sharing it with us!

    Reply
  9. Kelly - Life Made Sweeter

    August 18, 2015 at 12:26 am

    That's awesome that your RV reno is finished! This is the perfect meal to celebrate! It looks so flavorful and delicious!

    Reply
  10. Dani @ Dani California Cooks

    August 17, 2015 at 6:48 pm

    This looks so delicious! I love thai flavors - especially fish sauce.

    Reply
    • Karrie@tastyeverafter

      August 18, 2015 at 9:47 am

      Thank you so much Dani and thanks for visiting! I love Thai flavors and because of the fish sauce too. Love that stuff, even though the smell is horrendous. lol!

      Reply
  11. Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks

    August 17, 2015 at 2:26 pm

    Yay for the RV reno completion! I can't wait to see the pics! And woo-hoo for the beach trip! I will absolutely take your advice and double this so I don't run out!

    Reply
  12. simonacallas

    August 16, 2015 at 7:08 am

    5 stars
    It looks very good. I guess it's time for me to try the Thai Cuisine

    Reply
    • Karrie@tastyeverafter

      August 17, 2015 at 11:25 am

      Thank you Simona! Thai cuisine is the yummiest

      Reply
  13. Thao @ In Good Flavor

    August 15, 2015 at 12:40 pm

    I'm drooling, Karrie! I grew up on pork belly—pork fat rules! Can't wait see to see your camper photos!

    Reply
    • Karrie@tastyeverafter

      August 17, 2015 at 11:30 am

      Thank you Thao and you are so right, pork belly does rule. Big time!

      Reply
  14. Dante

    August 14, 2015 at 9:13 pm

    5 stars
    I love it Karrie.
    The Thai "fish sauce" contributes a different ultra pleasant profile to it.
    Great. Just great. I salute.

    Reply
    • Karrie@tastyeverafter

      August 17, 2015 at 1:00 pm

      Many thanks Dante. Your compliments mean so much to me

      Reply

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