How to Cook Moo Grob - หมูกรอบ | Recipe for Making Thai Crispy Deep-fried Pork Belly | Thai Food Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why is my crispy pork belly not crispy? ›

The skin wasn't dry enough. Make sure to pat the pork completely dry before rubbing in the salt and oil as excess moisture will stop it from crisping up. It's important to score the skin if you want it really crisp. You'll need a sharp knife for this, or ask your butcher to do it for you.

The boiling creates microbubbles of steam in the fat and skin. Later at the frying step this makes the skin crispy and the fat very tender.

Have a splatter screen handy to protect from oil splatters.To prevent wild splatters, dry the pork belly well. I was taught years ago to continuously sprinkle cold water in the sizzling hot oil while the meat is frying to promote crackling.

Heat about 4 inches of oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Fry pork belly squares in batches until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Preheat oven to 230°C, 210°C fan or Gas Mark 8. Put the joint in a roasting tin on the top shelf for 20 minutes. This sudden blast of heat is the key to crispy crackling. Reduce the temperature to 180-190°C, 160-170°C fan or Gas Mark 4-5 and follow the cooking times below to ensure the joint is cooked through.

There are times when pork needs to be boiled before frying. Boiling makes it tender and gives is a more crisp texture when fried later on. This is true to dishes such as lechon kawali and crispy pata. Both these crispy pork dishes needed to be boiled first and then deep fried to attain that nice texture.

Your next crucial task is to parboil the meat. This process softens the pork, infuses it with flavor, and speeds up the overall cooking time. Some prefer to boil their belly in plain water. But if you want your ulam to burst with savory goodness, cook it in seasoned stock.

Break down meat fibers without tearing them apart with this handy Avanti Pork Belly Skin Crisping Tool & Meat Tenderiser. With its stainless steel prongs, this practical tool will pound and pierce pork cutlets to help marinades permeate and tenderise your meat. The more holes, the crispier the skin becomes.

Preparing pork belly

Start the day before you want to serve your pork. If you have a Chinese hole puncher or pork skin pricker, you can use that to puncture holes all over the pork skin. Alternatively, you could use toothpicks to poke as many holes as possible into the skin of the pork belly.

This might be happening because you're cooking too many pieces at once, and the cool, uncooked meat is lowering the oil temperature. Patience is key — frying just a few pieces at a time will help ensure each one has the best, crispiest breading possible.

Why put baking soda on pork belly? ›

It is a fact of life that dry skin crisps better than moist skin. Scotese's trick to crispy pork belly is to rub equal parts baking soda and salt into the skin—the combo of baking soda and salt will draw out moisture and set you up for success.

Pork belly needs a combination of slow, gentle heat to tenderise the meat, plus a shorter blast at a higher heat to crisp up the skin. Cook at 180C/160C fan/gas 4 for 2 hrs 15 mins, then turn up the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 for a further 35 minutes to crisp the crackling.

If the heat is too high, the skin will get rock hard, along with the meat. That's why we use medium heat when we fry. And don't forget to dry the pork as much as possible first. The drier it is, the crispier the skin.

You can slow cook it in a slow cooker or oven at a low temperature for several hours until it's fully cooked and tender. This will help break down the tough connective tissues and collagen in the meat, resulting in a succulent and tender pork belly.

Once cooked (the pork should be tender; this can be easily tested by piercing the flesh with a knife), remove the pork from the oven, then leave to rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.

Whole pork shoulders or pork belly roasts can be magical when treated right. Poke the skin with a needle or knife without breaking through the meat too far. Then dust with salt and baking powder and allow to dry overnight. The next day, when you cook, the skin will puff and crisp up in ways you only imagined before.