I get a lot of requests for what to do with fresh pork belly. Because so many of the local processing facilities do not offer curing and smoking belly for bacon, we offer pork belly in slabs. Many customers choose to cure their own bacon, SO delicious! But there are so many other easy options to add to your cooking repertoire! I have recently seen pork belly tacos popping up on many menus, so I thought I’d show y’all how I make them at home.
It starts with a good ole rub down of spices. I went with more sweet/savory for a warming combination with cinnamon, and coriander. But you can go with traditional taco seasonings and more of a blend of cumin and chili powder, if you wish! Make sure you rub into every little crevice and coat it well. Not pictured: rub the belly down with some olive oil after the dry rub to create a wet surface area.
After slow roasting in the oven for a few hours, you’ll have a toasty spice coated belly. Super important: let the belly rest! If you try to cut into now, you’ll lose all the flavorful juices, while burning your hands! So you can do the initial bake the day before (and cool and refrigerate) or make sure you plan in resting time before proceeding! Thinly slice the pork belly and place on a sheet pan. I drizzled it with the juices from the first bake. And they went back in the oven to get crispy!
We served ours on Siete Grain Free Tortillas, pineapple salsa, citrusy red cabbage slaw, and pickled onions and jalapeños. Delicious!
If you want to make a quick, healthy slaw: thinly slice 1/2 head of red cabbage. Add juice of a lime, half the juice of an orange, 1/4 tsp salt, small splash of oil and mix.
Pork Belly Tacos
Ingredients:
~2lb fresh pork belly slab without skin
1 heaping teaspoon of cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, cinnamon, and salt and pepper.
1 TB oil
Tortillas and toppings of choice, pictured here is pineapple salsa, red cabbage slaw, pickled onions and jalapeños, and salsa verde
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Rub the belly with all the spices. Taking careful consideration to coat all the little crevices and cuts. Rub a bit of oil over everything. Place in a rimmed baking sheet, cover tightly with foil. Roast in the oven for 2 hours. Remove and let cool completely. You can put it in the fridge after cooled or proceed.
- Raise or preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Thinly slice the belly. Arrange slices on a sheet pan, drizzle with any remaining juices and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, flipping around 10-15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and serve on tacos!
Callywood Farms 
This reminds me, cafe customers have been requesting you make your flatbread available for sale more often. Love Lisa D. >
What are your prices on pork belly? We would like to try smoking some and making our own bacon! Thank you!!
$7/lb. I have pieces ranging from 1-3 lbs. We LOVE curing and smoking our own bacon, so fun and even more delicious than any store bought bacon! Shoot us an email callywoodfarms@gmail.com to arrange a pickup!
Wow! this looks so delicious… my family loves making homemade tacos — its such an easy, healthy and tasty meal. I’ve never had pineapple salsa before, but it looks so good 🙂