BBQ Pork Belly Sandwich
Thick-cut pork belly seared until golden, then finished in the oven and layered on toasted buns with tangy BBQ sauce and crispy onions. Simple, smoky, and deeply satisfying.
- Total time
- 28 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 642
- Protein
- 42g
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs pork belly, skin on
- ¾ cup BBQ sauce
- 2 count sandwich buns, soft
- 1 medium onion, yellow
- 1.5 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- 1
Pat the pork belly completely dry with paper towels, pressing firmly on all sides so the skin is not wet—this helps it brown better.
- 2
Sprinkle 1.5 teaspoons of salt and 0.5 teaspoon of black pepper evenly over all surfaces of the pork belly.
- 3
Set your oven to 425°F and wait for the indicator light or beep to confirm it has finished preheating, about 10 minutes.
- 4
Slice the onion lengthwise from root tip to root tip into thin half-moons about 1/8 inch thick, like slicing through a hamburger bun.
- 5
Place a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and wait 2 minutes until it is very hot—a drop of water should sizzle instantly.
- 6
Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the hot skillet, then immediately place the pork belly skin-side down in the center.
- 7
Let the pork sear without moving for 4 minutes, until the skin turns the color of dark caramel and no longer sticks to the pan.
- 8
Flip the pork belly over using tongs, then brush the top surface with 0.25 cup of BBQ sauce in an even layer.
- 9
Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes, until the pork is fork-tender and the sauce is bubbling at the edges.
- 10
Remove the skillet from the oven and place it on a heat-safe surface—the handle will be very hot, so use an oven mitt.
- 11
Place the onion slices in the empty space around the pork in the hot skillet and stir them constantly until they turn golden brown with crispy edges, about 3 minutes.
- 12
Split each sandwich bun in half and place the two halves cut-side up on a cutting board or plate.
- 13
Spread 0.25 cup of BBQ sauce evenly across the inside surface of both bun halves—bottom and top.
- 14
Slice the seared pork belly against the grain—the thin stripes running across the meat—into strips about 0.5 inch thick.
- 15
Stack the warm pork slices on the bottom bun of each sandwich, layering them slightly so they overlap.
- 16
Divide the crispy onions evenly between the two sandwiches, piling them on top of the pork.
- 17
Place the top bun on each sandwich, pressing down gently so the bun touches the filling, then serve immediately while the pork is still warm.
Tools you’ll need
- paper towels
- 12-inch cast iron skillet
- oven
- tongs
- oven mitt
- wooden spoon or spatula
- cutting board
- sharp knife
- chef's knife
Cook smarter
Get matched recipes for what’s in your fridge
CookSnap is a free iOS app that finds real recipes from the ingredients you already have. No more grocery-list aspirations.
