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Sticky Pork Belly with Pineapple and Soy Sauce

Sticky pork belly with pineapple and soy sauce twice cooked to create a delicious sweet, sour & salty dish with Anglo-Chinese influences.

The first phase of cooking involves simmering the pork in water, then it is simmered in honey, soy, chilli and vinegar. So whilst this dish takes a while to cook it is really easy!

Close up sticky pork belly with pineapple and soy sauce served with rice.

Twice Cooked Pork Belly with Chinese Influences

You will find pineapple appearing in all sorts of savoury recipes here on Krumpli. Although I must point out that it will never appear on Pizza… just don’t tell my wife!

It is particularly good with pork, whether that be my sweet and sour pork chops, my sideways look at a gammon salad or pork and pineapple filled lettuce wraps.

I even use it in a fruity pineapple and chicken curry!

This pork belly recipe features wonderfully fatty pork belly and uses pretty classic Chinese techniques and combines them with very western takeaway sticky sweet and sour flavour combinations.

The twice-cooked pork method is pretty common in Chinese food, particularly with pork belly.

It is often said that this is to remove impurities from the meat… which sounds, let’s face it frightening! However, by impurities, it means pulling off some of the protein and blood deposits.

They are not bad for you, it is just what it is. However, by cooking twice you are removing them and not adding them into the braising liquid which leads to a crystal clear shiny glaze.

If you are looking for other braised pork belly recipes then you must check out my Indonesian influenced babi chin, Korean influenced pork belly or Vietnamese pork belly recipes.

Sticky pork belly with pineapple and soy sauce served with rice.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Chinkiang vinegar?

Chinkiang is Chinese black rice vinegar, it has a deep rich almost smoky flavour that is far more complex than white rice vinegar.

I use it in lots of my Chinese-inspired recipes, particularly sweet and sour recipes. You can sub for regular rice vinegar but the flavour profile will change a lot.

Can I use fresh pineapple?

Yes absolutely, it works wonderfully. But I cook for two and a whole pineapple leads to lots of leftovers and I only use it if I have plan to use it up in the short term.

Should I use tinned pineapple in syrup or juice?

Use pineapple in natural juice rather than syrup. I personally thing that is pretty sage advice for all cooking, particularly savoury cooking!

Can I omit the dried chilli?

Yes, this recipe works just as well sans chilli, if spice is an issue you should scale black the black pepper too!

I’m a bit of a fiend for spice, but I am aware not everyone is.

Close up sticky twice cooked pork belly with pineapple and soy sauce.

Serving Suggestions

I almost always serve this twice-cooked sticky pork belly recipe with rice of some description.

It is pictured here with plain steamed rice, but it would be great with egg-fried rice too.

But it would work well with stir fried broccoli or an asparagus stir fry the veggies make a nice lighter note for this met dominated recipe.

This quickly-cooked Asian Cabbage recipe would also be a good option.

If you wanted to rock something a little lighter, then this papaya salad or cucumber salad would both be good shouts!

Twice cooked sticky pork belly with pineapple and soy sauce served with rice and spring onions.

Equipment Used

I only mention specific brands of equipment if I think they will make a material difference toa recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

  • Stovetop.
  • 33-35cm (13-14″) skillet or frying pan.
  • 20cm (8″) nonstick frying pan.
  • Chopping board.
  • Sharp kitchen knife.
  • Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
  • Sieve or colander.
  • Kitchen paper.
Twice cooked sticky pork belly with pineapple and soy sauce served with rice and spring onions.
Yield: 2 Servings

Spicy Sticky Pork Belly Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes

This delicious twice-cooked sticky pork belly recipe is simply stunning, that rich pork with the fresh sweet and sour pineapple is a match made in heaven!

Ingredients

  • 400 g (14 oz) Pork Belly
  • 230g (8oz) Tinned Pineapple
  • 250g (1⅔ Cup) Onion
  • 4 Cloves Garlic
  • 50ml (3 Tbsp + 1 Tsp) Chinkiang Vinegar
  • 125ml (½ Cup) Light Soy Sauce
  • 75g (∼¼ Cup) Honey
  • 1 Tsp Dried Chilli Flakes
  • 1 Tsp Black Pepper
  • 2 Tbsp Cooking Oil
  • 250ml (1 Cup) Water

Instructions

  1. Dice the pork belly into 2.5cm (1") cubes.
  2. Peel and cut the onion in half and then slice into 3mm (⅛") thick half-moon shapes.
  3. Peel the garlic then slice it as thinly as you can.
  4. Bring a large skillet or frying pan (32-35cm or 13-14") of water to a boil, add the pork and simmer for 20 minutes, then remove and pat dry.
  5. Clean out the pan and return it to a high heat, when it is hot add half of the cooking oil.
  6. Add the sliced onion and pork and cook for 10-12 minutes to get a little colour.
  7. Throw in the garlic, chilli flakes and black pepper and cook for another 60 seconds.
  8. Pour in the water, soy, vinegar and honey.
  9. Bring to a boil before turning down to medium-low and then simmer for 70 minutes.
  10. Dry the pineapple on a little kitchen paper.
  11. Heat the remaining oil in a second nonstick frying pan (20cm or 8" or larger) over a high heat.
  12. Throw in the pineapple and sear on both sides, this should take 7 or 8 minutes.
  13. Add the pineapple to the pork mix and cook for a final 20 minutes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 988Total Fat: 58gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 39gCholesterol: 169mgSodium: 3173mgCarbohydrates: 66gFiber: 4gSugar: 49gProtein: 54g

Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.

Did you make this recipe?

If you made this recipe, I'd love to see what you did and what I can do better, share a picture with me on Instagram and tag me @krumplibrian and tell me how it went!

Ryan

Saturday 21st of August 2021

Is there an instant pot version of this?

Brian Jones

Saturday 21st of August 2021

Hi Ryan

Because it is a sticky glaze you will struggle to do get the same thing in the IP, a large part of the cooking process is cooking off the liquid and getting the juices all sticky. A pressure cooker keeps the liquid so it is just not the same.

You could do the simmering of the pork in the IP, but you will not save any time, just reduce the cooking time by a third and give it a 10-minute release.

Karl Nilsson

Sunday 19th of July 2020

I just made this recipe, and it turned out great! Thanks for posting it--nice write-up. I'll email you a couple of photos.

Karl

Brian Jones

Tuesday 21st of July 2020

Thanks Karl, glad you enjoyed it, I'd love to see some pictures!

David Doerr

Sunday 21st of June 2020

Is there an alternative to Instagram? Can’t figure it out! Would like to send you photo of our Spicy Sticky Pork Belly. David Doerr (Previous commenter)

David Doerr

Sunday 21st of June 2020

Just got up from the table. This was very good. I followed the recipe exactly and wife and I both enjoyed it. Despite being in lock down mode, my son had just sent me some black vinegar as a present and I had pork belly and a pineapple. A lucky search and now there is little bit left to see how it reheats. I am looking forward to retro curry in the near future. I am “well aged” and was able to make this dish without getting stressed out. Thank you so much.

Brian Jones

Sunday 21st of June 2020

Hey David... Great to hear from you, I love this recipe. It is one of the more "obscure" recipes on my site and I am chuffed that you liked it! The retro chicken and pineapple curry is a "marmite" dish, it reminds me of the curries that my parents cooked in the late 70's we always have some of the sauce in the freezer, it is superb with a pork chop!

I'd love to see your version you can also find me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/growitcookiteatit, Twitter https://twitter.com/KrumpliBrian or even email [email protected].

Take care!

Brian

Michelle

Tuesday 24th of April 2018

Oh wow! I'm seriously drooling now. I love pineapple with meat and I confess I do very occasionally enjoy pineapple on pizza (don't tell anyone though :)) ) This looks and sounds so tasty, can't wait to try it.

Brian Jones

Wednesday 25th of April 2018

Get out!!! Just kidding, we all have our own afflictions to deal with... Tee hee, enjoy this recipe is a proper big hearty crowd pleaser.

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