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Sticky and slightly spicy, melting pork belly, stuffed into a soft brioche bun and packed with quick pickled vegetables and a jalapeño kick! This is a delicious pork burger. Perfect for a weekend treat!
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my sticky Chinese pork belly has long been one of the favorites on the blog.
I’ve made it for Chinese banquets, served strips of it on sticks for buffets (empty bowl flattened in 5 minutes – I should have made more!), a gluten-free version, with tamari (just as good), served as Gua Baoand now i’m making it into a burger!!
Why is this sticky pork belly so good? It’s all in it 3-stage cooking process†
- The pork belly is slow cooked a few hours to tenderize the meat.
- Then it is fried with a little oil and spices to make the edges golden brown and crispy†
- Then we add one sticky, sweet and slightly spicy sauceand let it bubble until it covers that pork belly.
It’s one of those recipes where a few minutes of silence takes over the room while people take those first bites. We don’t ruin those first bites with a conversation. It’s all about the food.
📋 What do we need for the pork belly?
- Pork belly – Use strips of thick-cut pork belly without rind. You can often buy it like this in the supermarket
- Ginger, garlic, rice wine, sugar and stock – are used as slow boiling liquid for the pork
- Oil, salt, pepper, ginger, soy sauce, lemongrass paste, chili, honey and brown sugar are all used to make the sticky icing that the pork is baked in it later.
📋 To make that burger extra special†
- brioche buns – have you tried homemade brioche buns†
- Carrot, cucumber, red onion, water, cider vinegar, sugar and salt for the pickled vegetables
- Sliced lettuce and sliced jalapeños for extra toppings
📺 Watch how to make it
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card on the end of this message.
PRO TIP Double the sauce if you want extra to pour on the burger!
Best burger ever!!!
🍽️ What do you serve it with?
Layered with quick pickled vegetables (carrots, red onion and cucumber), then topped with jalapeños and chili flakes to give it a spicy kick. So delicious!
🍲 More Amazing Burger Recipes
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Sticky Belly Pork Burger Recipe
Sticky, spicy, melt-in-your-mouth pork belly, stuffed into a soft brioche bun and loaded with quick pickled veggies and a jalapeno kick! This is a delicious burger. Perfect for a weekend treat!
INSTRUCTIONS
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Add the pork belly, chicken stock, ginger, garlic, rice wine, and sugar to a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. I use a shallow cast iron skillet like this <--affiliate link.
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Bring to the boil, cover the pan, turn the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours (Note 2).
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Meanwhile, prepare the pickled vegetables. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the cucumber into thin strips, down to the seeds.
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Peel and thinly slice the red onions.
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Peel the carrots, remove the ends and discard. Peel strips of the carrots using the vegetable peeler.
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Place the cucumber and carrot strips in a glass jar.
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Place the red onion slices in a second, smaller pot (they go in another pot because the red onion’s color doesn’t ‘bleed’ into the carrot and cucumber).
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Place the sugar, salt, cider vinegar and water in a pitcher and mix together. This is your pickling liquid.
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Pour the pickling mixture into the two jars so that they cover the vegetables. Place a lid on each jar and refrigerate for at least an hour (they will keep for 2-3 weeks).
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When the pork is done, turn off the heat and drain the pork and pat it dry. You can reserve the liquid if you want (perfect for ramen).
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Add the oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat.
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Add the pork to the skillet and sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt and pepper, then cook, turning a few times, until the pork begins to turn golden brown – about 5-6 minutes.
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While the pork is cooking, mix the glaze ingredients in a small bowl.
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When the pork is golden brown, you can carefully scoop out the excess fat from the pan
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Now pour the glaze over the pork and continue cooking until the pork looks dark and sticky. Remove from fire.
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Now it’s time to assemble. Open the brioche buns and place the lettuce leaves on the bottom. Add the pork belly slices – 2 or 3 per burger.
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Sprinkle with a few strips of drained pickled carrot, cucumber slices and red onion slices and sprinkle with a few jalapeños and chili flakes. Place the tops on the buns and serve.
✎ Notes
Note 2: – You can also prepare this phase in the slow cooker or instant pan.
slow cooker: You’ll need enough stock to cover the pork belly, then cook in a slow cooker over low heat for 5-6 hours. Then the last stage should be done, a frying pan / frying pan.
Instant can: (This has been reader tested – I haven’t tried this myself). Cook in the instant pot for 40 minutes.
Can I freeze it?
I recommend freezing it after the slow cooking phase, but before the frying phase. Let thaw completely before frying and then add the sauce. This means it only takes 15-20 minutes to make after thawing.
Can I make it gluten free?
Yes, replace the rice wine with sherry (usually gluten-free, but best to check), replace the stock with a gluten-free stock and replace the soy sauce with tamari. Still tastes great! I served this for 6 people (one of which is gluten intolerant), and everyone loved it.
How to scale this recipe up or down?
You can double or halve the recipe, keeping to the same ingredient proportions and cooking time.
If you double it, you’ll probably need to do the frying phase in two batches, but you can do the slow cooking phase and the sticky sauce phase in one very large pan.
Nutritional information is per burger (yes, it’s a caloric one!!)
Nutrition
Calories: 1012kcalCarbohydrates: 64GProtein: 56GFat: 58GSaturated fat: 22GSodium: 3268mgPotassium: 450mgFiber: 3GSugar: 27GVitamin A: 8895IUVitamin C: 34.7mgCalcium: 108mgIron: 3.1mg
This post was first published in March 2018. Updated in February 2022 with additional information, a recipe video, and some housework.
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – meaning if you buy the product, I’ll get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and may vary depending on several factors. For more information, please refer to our Terms and Conditions.
