Pork belly is a popular dish that is usually made by slow cooking the meat until it becomes crispy on the outside. It is served with a variety of sauces and spices to make it taste even better. The pork belly needs to be cooked for at least one hour before serving it.
If you don’t have that much time or are not willing to wait for an hour, then there are other ways to cook this delicious dish. Here are some recipes you can use instead of pork belly.
5 Alternative Recipes to Pork Belly
2. Spare ribs
4. Ground beef patty
5. White fish fillets
Crockpot Pork Belly
One alternative to cooking pork belly is to use a crockpot. This recipe, found on thekitchn.com, is for slow-cooked crispy pork belly that is served with spicy potatoes and apples.
Ingredients:
4 pounds of boneless pork belly
3 tablespoons of salt
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon of ground red pepper flakes
Preparation:
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir well until the salt and brown sugar are dissolved. Place the pork belly in a slow cooker and pour the marinade over it. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Remove from oven and serve with spicy potatoes and apples on top.
Black Pepper Pork Chops
This recipe calls for 4-6 center cut pork loin chops, and coat them in olive oil and salt. You then sprinkle black pepper and freshly ground cloves of fresh garlic on the pork chops and cook them for about 12 minutes on each side. When you flip the pork chop, add a small amount of soy sauce to the pan. Cook for 8 more minutes before serving.
Pressure Cooker Pork Belly
If you have a pressure cooker, this is the perfect recipe for you. Put pork belly in the cooker, cover with water, and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Then release all of the steam by running cold water over the top of the cooker for five minutes or until it completely stops releasing steam.
Oven Roasted Pork Butt
Oven roasted pork butt is a great alternative to the popular pork belly. The only difference is that with oven roasted pork butt, you don’t need to slow cook the meat for an hour. This recipe will take about half of the time as cooking with traditional methods. You can make oven roasted pork butt by seasoning the meat with salt and pepper and then roasting it in a 375 degree oven for 1 ¼ hours.
Another option is to use pork shoulder instead of belly. Pork shoulder needs to be cooked for 5-6 hours before it’s ready, but it can also be used for other dishes like pulled pork sandwiches or tacos.
Another popular dish that resembles this one is bacon wrapped dates stuffed with goat cheese and walnuts. This recipe includes wrapping your dates in bacon before stuffing them with goat cheese and walnuts. Then, bake them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until they become crispy on the outside while warm on the inside.
If you want something healthier than breaded chicken breasts, then try making chicken drumsticks instead of bacon wrapped dates stuffed with goat cheese and walnuts.
They are seasoned with salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, thyme leaves and fresh parsley before being baked in a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until golden brown on top. However this recipe does not call for any type of sauce to be served alongside it which would need to be added afterwards if desired
Grilled Pork Tenderloin
The first recipe is grilled pork tenderloin. It may not be as crispy on the outside, but it will still be delicious.
All you need to do is cut the pork tenderloin into small pieces and toss it with salt, pepper, olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, cumin, paprika and chili powder.
Cook it in a skillet on medium heat for about 15-18 minutes until it is browned on both sides.
Conclusion
So what are you going to do with that pork belly now?
If you don’t want to take the time to cook it, you can always freeze it for a rainy day.
You can also pickle it or make carnitas. If you want to take the easy route, you can always substitute it for another cut of meat like pork chops or a pork butt.
Pork tenderloin is also a great option and is often less expensive than pork belly.