This Honey Soy Marinated Pork Belly will quickly become your new favorite dish! It’s incredibly tender and flavorful, not to mention easy to make and deliciously unique!
Why It Works
This honey-soy marinated pork belly is tender, moist, and full of flavor! Pork belly is already a highly-sought after cut of meat (it’s what makes bacon and pancetta!), but this recipe is next-level delicious!
The rich pork belly pairs beautifully with the sweet and savory honey-soy marinade, with just a little kick of heat!
👉 Why marinate pork belly? The elements of the marinade (fat, acid, and flavor enhancers) work together to tenderize the pork belly while infusing flavor and imparting moisture.
Like my Maple Mustard Pork Loin, this recipe is an easy dish and a great way to infuse new flavors without a bunch of extra time or work. Enjoy it on a busy weeknight or when entertaining!
Ingredients
Ingredients Notes:
- You can substitute apple cider vinegar for rice vinegar.
- If you’re avoiding soy or want to make this recipe Paleo-compatible, substitute coconut aminos for the soy sauce.
- The sriracha is optional! If you like a little kick, I definitely recommend including it. You can also substitute any other hot sauce you enjoy.
- I highly recommend pork belly from Porter Road!
How to Marinate Pork Belly
Step 1: Prepare the marinade.
Combine the soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, vinegar, sriracha, minced garlic, and seasonings together in a bowl. Whisk the marinade together until it’s mixed fully.
👉 If the thick, gooey honey makes it difficult to whisk together, microwave the mixture for 10-15 seconds and try mixing again.
Step 2: Prepare the pork.
Use a sharp knife to carefully score just through the fat both horizontally and vertically to create a grid pattern.
👉 Scoring pork belly is SUPER important to imparting flavor into the meat and making sure every bite has crispy pieces of fat, so don’t skip this step!
Next, set the pork belly in a baking dish. Pour the marinade over the pork belly and use your hands to turn the pork, working the marinade into the scored pieces of fat.
Cover the dish and refrigerate to marinate for at least an hour, up to 18 hours.
Step 3: Cook the pork belly.
Remove the pork from the marinade (or simply drain the marinade if you plan to use the same baking dish).
To cook:
- Bake the pork belly uncovered at 400°F (204°C) for 30 minutes.
- Lower the temperature to 275°F (135°C) and lightly cover or tent the baking dish with a piece of foil. Cook for another 20-25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow the pork to rest for about 10 minutes, then slice into individual servings and dig it!
Air Fryer Cooking Instructions
Because the air fryer cooks using convection, the best way to cook pork belly in the air fryer is to cut it into bite-sized pieces before marinating.
Add the marinated pork belly pieces to a preheated air fryer at 400°F with the basket lightly greased. Cook for for 18-22 minutes, stopping every five minutes to turn the pieces.
Expert Tips & FAQ
- Do not reuse marinade! Discard the marinade once it’s been used.
- Pork is cooked once it reaches 145°F (63°C), per USDA. Always use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature to ensure it’s been thoroughly cooked.
Marinate pork belly for at least an hour, up to 18 hours.
I recommend about 1/3-1/2 cup of marinade per pound of pork belly.
Marinated pork belly can be served with sides like roasted broccoli, jasmine rice, roasted parsnips and carrots, and Hasselback potatoes.
Related Recipes
- Bite-Sized Pork Belly Potato Stacks
- Air Fryer Honey-BBQ Pork Belly Bites
- 11 Easy Salmon Marinades
- 10 Healthy Chicken Marinades
I’d love to hear about your experience making this recipe!
Please leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @cookathomemom.
Honey Soy Marinated Pork Belly
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. pork belly
- 1/3 cup soy sauce or substitute coconut aminos
- 3 Tablespoons honey
- 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar or substitute apple cider vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic about 2 Tablespoons minced
- 1 Tablespoon sriracha or substitute any other hot sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Combine the soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, vinegar, sriracha, garlic, and seasonings together in a bowl. Whisk the marinade together until it’s mixed fully.
- Use a sharp knife to score just through the fat both horizontally and vertically to create a grid pattern. Set the pork belly in a baking dish. Pour the marinade over the pork belly and use your hands to turn the pork, working the marinade into the scored pieces of fat. Cover and refrigerate to marinate for at least an hour, up to 18 hours.
- Drain or discard the excess marinade. Bake the pork belly uncovered at 400°F (204°C) for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, and lower the temperature to 275°F (135°C). Lightly cover or tent the dish with a piece of foil. Cook for another 20-25 minutes, until the internal temperature is 145°F (63°C).Remove the baking dish from the oven and allow the pork to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing into individual servings.
Notes
- Do not reuse marinade! Discard the marinade once it’s been used.
- Pork is cooked once it reaches 145°F (63°C), per USDA.
- I recommend the high-quality pork belly from Porter Road!
Karen SalterTownshend says
I felt it needed longer to cook. Would have preferred if the pork was falling apart.
Madison Wetherill says
Thank you for your comment, Karen! Next time I’d recommend cooking your pork belly to about 165 or 170º if you want it to be falling apart.