Pork Belly - served with soft fat

Question

I have been to two restaurants now and been really disappointed with their pork belly as I was expecting the fat would come crispy. When it didn't, the waitress said "Chef said it's slow cooked, so supposed to be like that."

It really puts me off ordering it in the future. Restaurants don't seem to do it right and then lie about it. Is it ever acceptable to serve like this or are they fibbing?

Slow cooking pork bellies is actually quite a nice way to prepare them, provided it's done right. I would personally always crisp up the outside under a grill though. — Richard ten Brink, Jul 07 '15 at 11:41
I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it's about restaurant management, not cooking. — Ward - Trying Codidact, Dec 20 '18 at 22:19

score 6 · Answer 1 · answered Jul 07 '15 at 10:32

6

They are not lying, slow cooked pork belly is supposed to be soft and tender. It's perfectly acceptable to serve pork belly this way and there are many people who prefer it. If it's not to your personal taste then it's best to avoid it and order other things from the menu.

answered Jul 07 '15 at 10:32

GdD

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Or ask whether the fat comes the way you'd like it. Pretty much all pork belly will be slow-cooked in some way to make it appealingly tender. The crisping step is an extra one that some chefs will use if that's the texture they're going for. – logophobe Jul 07 '15 at 15:38

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 21 '17 at 14:43

There is an actual Chinese steamed pork belly dish named after a famously drunk poet. The dish is called, Dong Po Rou, Dong Po's pork. Su Dong Po was the name of the poet, who is famous in China for being such a great poet, but also being a super alcoholic. So the dish named after him is slow cooked until super soft, almost to the point of being a pudding in texture.

The recipe calls for nearly half the liquid to be wine in some recipes. Also taking quite a while to prepare. But the end result is super soft, like silken tofu but all the porky flavor. You should be able to actually cut the pork with chopsticks. Very delicious I might add. So not all pork belly recipes have a crispy top.

If you are looking for that texture, you want the aptly named, "crispy roast pork". At least if you are going to Chinese restaurant. Just FYI. Also very delicious but with that super crispy top layer of crack, I mean crackling.

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Jul 07 '15 at 12:15

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The meat and fat will be soft and tender (and tasty).

Some chefs will crisp out the exterior prior to serving depending on the recipe and the intended texture.

answered Jul 07 '15 at 12:15

Max

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Pork Belly - served with soft fat

3 Answers3