Slow Cooker Pork Belly

Slow Cooker Pork Belly

Succulent, slow-roasted pork that is fall apart tender – yes, please!

We love slow cookers and we love saving money, and this slow cooker pork belly recipe is a great combination of those two loves. Affordable, flavor-packed and easy-to-cook pork bellies can be seasoned and then put in a slow cooker to take their time cooking to fall apart tenderness.

This recipe is inspired by German and Central European flavors (check out our serving suggestions!) but can be customized to your own liking. It’s very easy to make a pork belly at home, so if you’re confident, just scroll down to the ingredients, or if you’d like to learn more, check out these quick questions and answers!

I’M NOT FAMILIAR WITH PORK BELLIES – CAN YOU TELL ME MORE ABOUT THEM?

Pork bellies are loved in America for being the cut that we make bacon from. Not all parts of the world use bellies for bacon, so there are many other ways to prepare and enjoy pork bellies.

Pork bellies are a boneless cut of meat that come from the belly (duh!) of a pig. They are rectangular and have skin on one side that the butcher will generally remove. There is a solid layer of fat on top and then rich dark meat with streaks of fat throughout.

Pork bellies are delicious when they’re seasoned generously and then slowly cooked using a method such as oven-roasting, braising, or smoking. For this recipe, we’re using a slow cooker to achieve that effortless slow cooked flavor!

CAN I MAKE THIS RECIPE WITHOUT A SLOW COOKER?

Yes, if you don’t have a slow cooker, or would like to make this recipe more quickly, you can roast the pork belly in an oven that’s been preheated to 350ºF for approximately 60 – 90 minutes, until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 180ºF.

HOW SHOULD I SERVE THIS SLOW COOKER PORK BELLY?

We like to take the pork belly out of the slow cooker, cut it into squares, and then serve it over a bed of warm sauerkraut with spaetzle on the side. The saukeraut and spaetzle will soak up the juices from the pork belly so you get to enjoy the flavor even more!

You can also serve this slow cooker pork belly with roast or mashed potatoes, or over a bed of rice with roasted vegetables.

WHAT ARE SOME OTHER SEASONING IDEAS FOR THIS PORK BELLY RECIPE?

If you’d like to get a little more adventurous, you can try these types of seasoning with this recipe:

Please note if you make a purchasing using the links above, we’ll receive a small commission – thanks for your support!

Slow Cooker Pork Belly

Succulent, slow-roasted pork that is fall apart tender – yes, please!We love slow cookers and we love saving money, and this slow cooker pork belly recipe is a great combination of those two loves. Affordable, flavor-packed and easy-to-cook pork b...

Author
Lake Geneva Country Meats
Prep Time
15 minutes
Servings
12

Ingredients

  • 3 lb LGCM Pork Belly (skinless)
  • 1 cup Chicken Broth (or use an amber beer if you like beer flavor!)
  • 1/2 Yellow Onion (diced)
  • 4 clove Garlic (minced)
  • 1 Tbsp Salt
  • 2 tsp Black Pepper
  • 1 tsp Paprika
  • 1 tsp Ground Mustard
  • 2 Bay Leaf

Directions

  1. Pour the chicken broth into a large slow cooker and place the diced onion, minced garlic, and bay leaf into the broth. Place the pork belly fat side on top of the broth and vegetables. Mix together the salt, pepper, paprika, and ground mustard and season the top of the pork belly with the mixture.Cover the slow cooker, and cook on low for 7 hours or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 180ºF.
  2. Once the pork is done cooking, remove the pork belly from the slow cooker. Discard the bay leaf from the broth.Cut the pork belly into approximately 4″ squares and serve these over a bed of warmed sauerkraut with spaetzle on the side. Spoon the gravy from the slow cooker over the top of the pork, if desired. Enjoy!
Back to blog