Pork Belly

Pork belly is a boneless cut taken from the underside of the pig, recognisable by its distinctive layers of meat and fat running in parallel bands beneath the skin. It is one of the most flavourful cuts of pork, owing to its generous fat content which bastes the meat as it cooks.

In Australian cooking, pork belly is most celebrated as a roast — scored skin crisping into golden crackling while the meat beneath turns meltingly tender. It is equally important in Asian cuisines: Chinese red-braised pork belly, Korean samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly), and Japanese kakuni (braised pork belly) are all beloved dishes built around this cut.

Pork belly is readily available from butchers and supermarkets across Australia. It can be bought with skin on (essential for crackling) or skin off. It benefits from slow cooking methods — roasting, braising, or smoking — that render the fat and break down the connective tissue.