The 7 Best Ways to Cook Pork Belly, Ranked by How Crispy the Skin Gets

I have burned through more pork belly than I want to admit trying to get that perfect crackling everyone talks about. Some attempts came out leathery. A few came out with skin so hard I could not cut through it with a regular knife. So I went back through every method I have tried over the years, plus a few I researched properly this time, and ranked them from crispiest to least crispy. This is not a guess. It is based on actual technique, the science behind what makes skin bubble in the first place, and what chefs who cook this professionally actually do.

Before I get into the ranking, it helps to understand the one thing that separates great crackling from a rubbery disappointment. Skin needs to lose almost all of its surface moisture before it hits high heat. Water trapped in the skin turns to steam instead of letting the fat underneath render and puff. Every method on this list is really just a different way of solving that same moisture problem.

1. Thai Style Boil, Dry, and Double Fry (Moo Krob)

This is the crispiest method I have found, and it is not close. The Thai approach to crispy pork belly, called moo krob, works because it removes moisture from the skin in three separate stages before frying, according to Rachel Cooks Thai. Here is exactly how I do it.

1. Place a two to three pound piece of pork belly, skin side up, in a pot large enough to submerge it. Cover with salted water and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about one hour, until the skin turns soft and slightly translucent.
2. Remove the pork and let it cool enough to handle. Pat the skin completely dry with paper towels.
3. Score the skin in a shallow grid pattern with a sharp knife, being careful not to cut into the meat underneath. Mix a tablespoon of salt with a tablespoon of white vinegar and rub this mixture firmly into the scored skin.
4. Set the pork on a wire rack, skin side up, and let it dry uncovered for at least three hours at room temperature, or place it in the fridge uncovered overnight for even better results. The skin should look noticeably shriveled and dry to the touch before you move to frying.
5. Heat about three inches of oil in a heavy pot or wok to medium high heat, roughly 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Carefully lower the pork in skin side down, standing back since the moisture remaining in the skin will cause the oil to pop aggressively at first.
6. Fry for about five minutes, watching as the skin blisters and bubbles across the surface. Flip occasionally to fry the meat side as well.
7. Remove the pork and let it rest for a few minutes before slicing into strips or cubes. The result is skin that genuinely puffs into a popcorn like texture, with bubbles you can hear crackle when you tap them.

2. Cantonese Salt Crust Roast (Siu Yuk)

If you want that classic Chinese roast pork belly with big, even bubbles across the entire surface, the salt crust method used for siu yuk is the way to go, based on the technique from The Woks of Life. Here is the full process.

1. Score the meat side of a two to three pound piece of pork belly and season it with salt, five spice powder, and a splash of Shaoxing wine, keeping all seasoning off the skin.
2. Flip the belly skin side up and pierce it all over with a sharp metal skewer or a fork, as densely as you can manage. More holes mean the skin crisps rather than staying smooth and leathery.
3. Wrap the meat and sides tightly in foil, leaving only the skin exposed on top. Brush the skin evenly with rice wine vinegar.
4. Pack an even, thick layer of coarse sea salt completely over the skin, covering every bit of it.
5. Roast at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about ninety minutes, or closer to 105 minutes if the belly still has ribs attached.
6. Remove the pork from the oven and carefully brush or knock off the hardened salt crust. Unwrap the foil from the sides.
7. Switch the oven to a low broiler setting and move the rack to the lowest position. Broil for five to ten minutes, watching closely, until the skin puffs up and crisps into the signature crackling.
8. Let the pork rest for ten minutes before slicing into strips. The salt layer works almost like an oven within an oven, drawing moisture out steadily while protecting the meat from drying out.

3. Sous Vide Then Pan Fry

This method wins on tenderness and comes in close on crispiness, which makes it my personal favorite for a dinner party. It follows the approach described by Chef Rick Parente of Clock Tower Grill, as reported by Tasting Table, who cures, cooks, and fries the belly in three distinct stages.

1. Make a dry cure by combining salt, sugar, a spoonful of maple syrup, and cracked black pepper. Rub this mixture over the entire piece of pork belly, skin included.
2. Place the cured belly on a rack in the fridge, uncovered, and let it cure for up to ten days. This extended dry cure pulls moisture out of the skin ahead of time specifically to promote crispness later, so do not rush this stage.
3. Rinse off the excess cure, pat the pork completely dry, and seal it in a vacuum bag or a zip top bag using the water displacement method.
4. Cook the sealed pork belly in a sous vide water bath set to 165 degrees Fahrenheit for twelve hours, typically overnight.
5. Remove the pork from the bag and pat the skin dry again, since some moisture will have accumulated during the bath.
6. Cut the belly into cubes or steaks. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium high heat and fry each piece skin side down first, pressing gently, until the skin turns golden and audibly crisp, roughly three to five minutes.
7. Flip briefly to warm the other sides, then serve immediately. Because the meat is already perfectly cooked and tender from the sous vide bath, this final fry is purely about texture on the outside rather than cooking the inside.

4. Two Stage Low and High Oven Roast

This is probably the most repeatable method for a home cook who does not want to deal with deep frying or a ten day cure, based on the process from RecipeTin Eats.

1. Score the skin of a two to three pound pork belly in thin, parallel lines, spaced about half an inch apart, cutting just through the skin and not into the fat below.
2. Pat the skin completely dry, then place the belly uncovered on a rack in the fridge overnight. Wet skin simply cannot crisp properly, so do not skip this step even if you are short on time.
3. The next day, pat the skin dry one more time. Rub the meat and sides with salt and any aromatics you like, such as garlic and fennel seed, keeping the skin itself dry.
4. Sprinkle a generous, even layer of salt across the surface of the skin, from edge to edge. Salt is non negotiable here, since without it you get a flat and hard sheet of skin instead of bubbly crackling.
5. Place the pork on a rack set over a foil lined tray and roast at 140 degrees Celsius, or about 285 degrees Fahrenheit, for two and a half hours. This low, slow phase tenderizes the meat and renders fat gradually while keeping the skin supple.
6. Remove the pork and brush or scrape off the salt layer. Increase the oven temperature to 240 degrees Celsius, or 465 degrees Fahrenheit.
7. Return the pork to the hot oven and roast for a final thirty minutes, watching closely as the skin bubbles and puffs into full crackling.
8. Rest for ten minutes before slicing. This is the exact method I have made more times than any other on this list, and it is reliable every time.

5. Air Fryer

I was skeptical about the air fryer for pork belly until I tried the boiling water trick, a technique also confirmed by testing from TechRadar.

1. Score the skin of your pork belly in a criss cross pattern using a sharp knife.
2. Salt the skin generously and leave the pork uncovered in the fridge for about two hours to draw out moisture.
3. Place the pork skin side up in a heatproof dish or sink and slowly pour about two liters of boiling water directly over the rind. This shrinks the skin and helps oil penetrate better later. Pat the skin completely dry immediately afterward with paper towels.
4. Brush the skin lightly with oil and season with flaky salt.
5. Line the air fryer basket with foil or place the pork on a small tray to catch dripping fat, then set the belly in the basket skin side up.
6. Cook at 401 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes, then check the skin. If it needs more time, continue in five minute increments, checking each time, until the skin is fully bubbled and crisp. Most pieces take about 30 minutes total.
7. Let the pork rest for five minutes before slicing. The air fryer's small cooking cavity means hot air circulates faster around the food than in a regular oven, which speeds up crisping considerably.

6. Simple High Heat Oven Roast, No Salt Crust

This is the method most people default to, and it works fine, but it consistently ranks behind every technique above in my experience.

1. Score the skin in a tight grid pattern, cutting through the skin only.
2. Pat the skin dry and leave the pork uncovered in the fridge for at least a few hours, ideally overnight, though most people rush this step.
3. Rub the meat side with salt, pepper, and any spices you like. Rub the skin with just oil and a coating of salt.
4. Place the pork on a rack over a tray and roast at a high, consistent temperature of around 450 degrees Fahrenheit for the entire cook, roughly forty five minutes to an hour depending on thickness, until the internal temperature reaches at least 195 degrees Fahrenheit for tender meat.
5. Check the skin periodically. If certain patches are not crisping evenly, that uneven bubble coverage is the tradeoff of skipping the slower two stage approach or the salt crust step.
6. Rest for ten minutes before slicing. The moisture removal step gets rushed here, and rushed drying is the single biggest reason home cooks end up with tough, chewy skin instead of crisp skin.

7. Grill or Rotisserie

Cooking pork belly over direct flame or on a rotisserie gives you great smoky flavor and a nicely rendered fat layer, but it is the least reliable method here for actual crackling.

1. Score the skin lightly and pat it as dry as possible. Season the meat side generously, keeping the skin itself dry and lightly oiled.
2. If using a rotisserie, secure the belly firmly on the spit so it rotates evenly. If grilling directly, set up a two zone fire with a hot side and a cooler indirect side.
3. Cook over indirect heat first, around 300 degrees Fahrenheit, for the bulk of the cooking time, roughly an hour, to render fat and cook the meat through without scorching the skin too early.
4. Move the pork to direct heat, or increase the flame if on a rotisserie, for the final ten to fifteen minutes to crisp the skin.
5. Watch closely during this final stage, since the skin tends to char in spots before it has fully dried out and puffed elsewhere, giving you an inconsistent texture across the same piece of meat.
6. Rest for ten minutes before slicing. I still do this occasionally when I want that charred, barbecue forward flavor, but if crispiness is the entire goal, this method sits at the bottom of my list.

My Takeaway

If you want the single crispiest result and do not mind deep frying, go with the Thai boil and fry method. If you want that classic Chinese restaurant style crackling without owning a deep fryer, the Cantonese salt crust method gets remarkably close. And if you are cooking for a dinner where texture and tenderness both matter, sous vide followed by a quick pan fry gives you the best of both without much risk of a bad result. Whatever method you pick, the drying step is the part to take seriously. Every good crackling I have ever made started with skin that had almost no moisture left on it before it hit real heat.