Crispy Pork Belly with Miso - Sesame Sauce

It's always a struggle to find a butcher who sells thick pork belly in Rome. Because pork belly is the fresh pancetta (not the cured one), they are only more than willing to go to a maximum of 1/2 centimeter to slice them because not only is it pork but it's also full of fat. Sigh. When I ask for a slice thicker than 1/2 centimeter, they reluctantly obey and slice, some even asking if I am sure. Once, the butcher even didn't obey my husband's request and she went on slicing 1/2 centimeter pieces while saying that pancetta can't be thicker than that! Needless to say, that ended of our meat shop-client relationship.

But this doesn't hamper my enthusiasm for cooking pork belly at home. Pork is the last meat that my husband will eat and my kids are following his line. Instead, when pork belly is crispy on the outside and tender inside, then I find myself with a big plate of them all for myself to enjoy, like this one. This is based on the Philippine pork dish that I am quite crazy about that's dipped in vinegar sauce. It's an absolute winner in my palate. 

To get to the right tenderness and crispiness, I cooked the pork for almost 4 hours. That's right, 4 hours! But don't lose interest because the first 3 hours is just boiling (no need to man the pot) and the other hour in the oven where you get the crispiness.

To get the recipe, please click on this link to take you to She Knows. It's a site where I create recipes. To see more recipes I created for them, click on this other link. Thanks and have a wonderful Friday! The wind finally halted, the sun is shining so bright and it's actually warm. It's a beautiful spring day in Rome! I hope you have a beautiful weather too in your part.