Slow Cooker Pork Belly is melt in your mouth delicious! With less than 10 minutes of prep time and a simple dry rub we set and forget whilst dinner cooks itself. Juicy pork, crispy audible crackling, add some veggies and your Sunday roast is done.
Recipes like the Slow Cooker Massaman Lamb Shanks, Slow Cooker Beef Massaman Curry, Slow Cooker French Onion Chicken and the Slow Cooker French Onion Pork Chops let us explore cooking a wide variety of meats in the slow cooker.
The Sticky Pork Rashers, Air Fryer Pork Roast, Pork Mince Fried Rice and the Pork Mince Noodles let us work with a variety of cuts of this fantastic protein.
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๐ค Recipe Highlights
I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE โค) about the crockpot pork belly recipe in the points below:
- Minimal prep time: we need less than 10 minutes from prepping the pork to getting it ready for slow cooking. This quick prep time needs only minimal effort and then we are hands free until we transfer the pork to the oven.
- Simple ingredients: each of the ingredients needed to make the recipe are simple and easy to get your hands on year round at the grocery store.
- Versatile: whether you want to make the pork in place of a lamb roast or for a special occasion, you will find that it works for a wide variety of settings. This makes it the perfect recipe to have up your sleeve so that you can whip it out be it needed for dinner parties, Christmas, a family get together or the Sunday roast.
๐ฅ Ingredients
The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the slow cooker pork belly recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.
As you can see this slow cooker recipe calls for:
- Salt and pepper: salt and a little bit of black pepper is used to season the meat.
- Garlic powder.
- Onion powder.
- Fennel seeds: are we even cooking pork if we don't have fennel on the list ๐.
- Brown sugar: we have a lot of savory going on in the flavor profile of the dish. Adding a little sugar helps to balance and give us both sweet and savory flavors.
- Balsamic vinegar: adds to the 'sweet' flavor of the pork.
- Worcestershire sauce: gives the pork a little oomph and is one of the savory contributors.
- Chicken stock: this gets poured into the base of the slow cooker. It helps to ensure that the pork stays moist and juicy as it cooks.
- Pork belly: you will be able to get this from your local grocery store or good-quality butcher depending on how much money you want to spend. It is a boneless cut of meat with a thick, rubbery skin. Cooking it in the slow cooker ensures that the tenderness of the meat is flavored with its own juices. For a simple recipe it is remarkedly packed with flavor!
- Olive oil: we use this before putting the pork under the grill.
- Salt: as above, the olive oil and salt are the final 2 ingredients to help us achieve crispy pork crackling.
๐ Substitutions and Variations
Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:
- Sugar: you can use the equivalent of white sugar in place of the brown sugar if you wish to.
- Fennel: you can use crushed fennel (powder form) in place of the fennel seeds if you want.
- Stock/broth: you can use vegetable broth in place of the chicken stock (equivalent amount).
๐ฉโ๐ณ How to Make Slow Cooker Pork Belly
To make pork belly in the slow cooker we start by preparing the pork. This is best done by removing any packaging, placing the pork on a plate (skin side up) and leaving in the fridge overnight as it dries out the skin.
๐ณ Instructions
Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe. We start by:
- Drying the skin (Photo 1)
- Massaging with the spice rub (Photo 2)
- Adding liquids and sugar to slow cooker bowl (Photo 3)
- Placing the pork on top (Photo 4)
Place the pork belly on a clean, dry chopping board skin side down. Next sprinkle the flesh with the fennel seeds, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Then use your hands to massage this mixture into the pork.
Next grease the slow cooker insert with cooking oil. Then pour in the chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. Once done use a wooden spoon to give the liquids and sugar a gentle stir.
๐ฅฉ Crockpot Pork Belly Recipe
Then take the seasoned pork and place it skin side up on top of the liquids. Place the lid on the slow cooker and set the timer on high for 4 hours.
- Remove the lid (Photo 5)
- Transfer the pork to a wire rack (Photo 6)
- Baste with olive oil (Photo 7)
- Sprinkle with salt (Photo 8)
Once the pork has cooked, we remove it from the slow cooker, transfer it to a wire rack and cook till the crackling is golden brown and crispy.
๐ฝ Serving Suggestions
The pork is so delicious and juicy with this one that we need only a couple of extras to call it a complete meal. Carve it into thin slices using a sharp knife and get ready to dive in!
Roast potatoes are always a good choice and peas and green beans to partner will to bring it all together. The bonus of the last 2 vegetables being ones that can be frozen leading to less leg work and effort when serving your pork (ie purchase frozen and pull them out and microwave when the need arises).
For other potato sides you might like to try the Potato And Sweet Potato Bake, Creamy Garlic Potatoes, Skin on Roast Potatoes or the Garlic Butter Potatoes.
For further potato bakes try the Potato And Broccoli Bake, Potato And Onion Bake or the Potato And Cauliflower Bake.
Or bread sides are your thing try the Tortilla Garlic Bread, Turkish Garlic Bread or the Ciabatta Garlic Bread.
Or keep things super simple like you see in the photos below, reheat and you are good to go!
๐ How to Guide
Let the pork fully cool. Cut into portions and then transfer these to sealed, airtight containers. These can be kept in the fridge for 3-4 days and need to be reheated before being consumed.
You can freeze the raw pork belly as needed. Then allow it to thaw and dry the skin out before using. Or you can follow the step above to portion leftovers into an airtight container and then freeze these. Frozen portions of the dish can be kept (in the freezer) for up to 3 months.
Refrigerated leftovers can be transferred to a bowl. From there cover them with cling wrap and reheat on high in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. Frozen portions are best fully thawed, then follow the step above the reheat. Thawed portions of the pork will take an extra 1-2 minutes to heat through.
๐ก Tasty Tips
Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:
- Cook time: many slow cooker recipes can be done on low heat for double the time of high heat. I however, have not made this recipe using low heat so I can't say that changing the cook time and temperature would give the same results.
- Grill: turn the oven on (grill setting) during the last 15 minutes that the pork is cooking. This is because we want to transfer the cooked pork straight from the slow cooker (with a quick stop for oil and salt) to the hot oven. As the pork is already cooked we are only wanting to use hot heat to blast the skin at this point. We don't want to cook the pork too much further.
- Air fry: prefer to air fry the crackling for a no fuss method? Refer to the Air Fryer Pork Roast for tips. The cook time for this will be less than the oven only needing around 10 minutes to crisp up. Keep an eye on it as it cooks. You are less likely to get any browned crispy bits (towards the black stage) in the air fryer, but then some readers will feel that those bits are the best bits!
- Love pork recipes? Then you might like to try the Honey Soy Pork Ribs, Sticky Pork Ribs, Chorizo Fried Rice, Chorizo Pasta Bake or the Dumpling Noodle Soup ๐๐.
๐ค Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can put raw pork into the slow cooker. Over time it will cook resulting in tender meat.
Yes, you can pork belly in the slow cooker. Doing so results in tender flavorful meat with a juicy and moist texture.
Cook the pork belly for 4 hours on high then finish it in the oven on the grill setting to achieve crispy crackling.
๐ More Easy Dinner Recipes
If you are out of ideas on how to keep your dinners interesting and varied then I have plenty of ideas to share. These recipes offer a wide variety of cook times, proteins and methods, so you can choose which suits you for each occasion.
- More easy family meals: Chicken And Rice Tray Bake, Tuna And Rice Casserole, Baked Chicken Drumsticks And Rice, Salmon Rice Bake.
- More slow cooker recipes: Slow Cooker Savoury Mince, Slow Cooker Curried Sausages, Slow Cooker Dahl, Slow Cooker Chicken Barley Soup, Slow Cooker Chicken Drumsticks And Potatoes, Slow Cooker Chicken And Corn Soup.
- Pork recipes for inspiration: Slow Cooker Stuffed Pork Tenderloin, Slow Cooker Roast Pork With Crackling, Pork Leg Roast, Roast Pork Shoulder.
- Other proteins: Crumbed Lamb Cutlets, Slow Cooker Pulled Lamb Shoulder, Beef Ribs, Italian Short Ribs.
It is time to get our slow cooked pork belly on my friend! You can also find all of my dinner recipes or slow cooker recipes in the one spot.
Adrianne
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๐ Recipe
Slow Cooker Pork Belly
Ingredients
Pork
- 1.4 kg/3 lb pork belly skin on, Note 1
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds Note 2
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- ยฝ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup/250ml chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Crackling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ยผ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Pork: start by removing any packaging from the pork (discard) and place it on a plate in the fridge overnight to dry out the skin.
- Dry rub: next place the pork onto a clean, dry chopping board skin side down. Sprinkle the flesh with the fennel seeds, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Then use your hands to massage the dry rub into the meat.
- Liquids and sugar: grease the slow cooker insert with cooking oil. Then pour in the chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. Use a wooden spoon to gently stir and combine.
- Cook: place the seasoned pork belly into the slow cooker and put the lid on. Set the timer and temperature for 4 hours on high.
- Grill/broil:ย with 15 minutes left for the pork cook time turn the oven on. Set it to grill at 200ยฐC 392ยฐF6. (Or you can use the air fryer).
- Crackling: When the cook time is up, remove the cooked pork from the slow cooker and place it on a sheet of tin foil over a wire rack. Wrap the foil around the pork and use foil balls to ensure the crackling is even. Pour the olive oil over the top and use a basting brush to spread this out evenly. Then sprinkle salt over the top of the oil. Place the pork into the oven on the top shelf. Cook till the crackling has bubbled and hardened (15 to 20 minutes).
- To serve: remove the pork from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving. Serve it with roast vegetables and gravy.
Video
Notes
- Note 1 - Pork belly: remove any packaging and place the pork on the plate (uncovered) in the fridge overnight. This ensures that the skin will dry out. If you don't have overnight, aim for a couple of hours. Also use paper towel to pat the skin dry before seasoning.ย
- Note 2:ย Fennel seeds: as with the rest of the dry rub, we want to massage this in to the flesh so that it 'sticks' . I find it easiest to start with the fennel seeds as they are the bulkiest and then follow this with the garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.ย
Belinda says
Yum!
Adrianne says
Thanks Belinda.