Keto Crispy Pork Belly. When eating keto or zerocarb actually leads to crunchy. Oh, I don’t mean a bit of crunch, I mean probably the crunchiest food on earth-Pork Skin. The first time I ever had this most exquisite of foods was about 30 years ago. We were on Vancouver Island in the Chinatown area of Victoria and ducked into some funky little hole in the wall restaurant. You know how it is, nobody speaks English, I’m just trying to find out what this pork belly stuff is before I order some of it. One thing led to another and with zero understanding of what I was ordering, I pulled down my pants, took a chance, closed my eyes, and ordered it anyway. I am here to tell you that to this day I have never had anything that compared to that first bite of what we now call keto crispy pork belly. I truly thought if there was a heaven, I had just entered the kingdom. So…life happens and though from time to time I would try to find this pork belly again, I never did until one day…I decided to make my own.
Now I have had and made my own chicharrones but they are not the same. They are of course fabulous in their own right but absolutely not the same as a keto crispy pork belly even though they are both made with the same product. Since I had come up with my own Low Carb Hoisin Sauce a while ago this had been percolating and I have had it more than a couple of times now. Because I can, I serve it with hoisin but I wanted to not only make it very easy for you but to also give you the authentic Chinese version which is the easiest way imaginable. And this is maybe one of the best things of all here: These succulent little bits of keto crispy pork belly goodness can be…gasp…eaten with your fingers. If you don’t have the same Norpro tenderizer I have then you can use a fork to pierce the skin and it will just take a bit more time and elbow grease and some say you don’t even need to pierce the skin.
I have shown keto crispy pork belly with 3 pieces as an appetizer and 6 pieces as a dinner. If you think you can eat more than 6 pieces, I would advise trying 6 pieces to begin with and then going for more. It is tempting to eat more but an hour or two later they will sneak up on you and you will feel full beyond belief. I mean let’s face it, you will be eating nearly all fat.
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- 1½-2 Lbs Skin On Slab Of Pork Belly (I Get Mine In A Vietnamese Grocery)
- ½ t Five Spice Powder
- ½-1 t Salt
- Put pork belly meat side down on a plate lined with a paper towel leaving skin uncovered for 2-3 days. The skin will get really hard and this is what you want.
- On the day of cooking bring belly to room temperature.
- With skin up and using the tool shown or a sharp fork, pierce the skin many times.
- Turn belly skin side down and score into what will be 24 pieces. Not only does scoring aid in portion control, (who needs that anyway)? It also keeps it from humping or twisting.
- Mix, spread, & rub salt & powder into cuts over belly bottom only.
- Make an envelope out of foil and place belly skin side up inside. DO NOT COVER.
- Heat oven to 450°.
- Place belly into oven for 35 minutes and DON'T open the door.
- Turn down heat to 350° and continue cooking for another 30-40 minutes. Again DON'T open the door.
- Turn off oven and leave belly alone for another 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and with skin side down and using a large knife, (chef's knife is best) begin cutting through the scores and into the skin. You are going to need a little pressure to push through the crispy skin.
- 8 Servings As Appetizer
- 240 Calories, 13.0g Protein, 21.0g Fat, 0.0g Carbs, 0.0g Fiber, 0.0g Net Carbs
- 4 Servings As Dinner
- 480 Calories, 26.0g Protein, 42.0g Fat, 0.0g Carbs, 0.0g Fiber, 0.0g Net Carbs
- Don't go nuts with the five spice powder or salt. A little dab will do ya.
- If by some chance the skin is not totally crispy don't worry as all is not lost. You can turn on the broiler and broil for 1-2 minutes but be careful because at this point it is easy to scorch it.
- Of course you can use a larger slab of belly for more people.
- If you think you want the Norpro tenderizer, I ordered it through my local hardware store for $7.00. Not a well know item but I think most any hardware store can order it for you.