Roasted Pomegranate Pork Belly

Marinated and flavoured with simple seasonings and sauces found in most kitchens, this Roasted Pomegranate Pork Belly is baked until moist and tender and then tossed in a honey and pomegranate molasses sauce, making this main easy to prepare for the holidays!

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you will have read that I’m a huge fan of pork. So today, I’m back with another pork belly recipe, Dear Reader! This time around, it’s my Roasted Pomegranate Pork Belly. This dish is so easy to make, but it looks – and tastes! – like it has been slowly cooked for many hours. This pork, however, has been marinated and roasted for only 40 minutes!

It seems like a million years have passed since I’ve had pork belly.  I remember the first time I had it; in fact, I remember it very well.  John.e and I had just started dating.  We were spending the weekend with my daughter and were invited to attend a birthday party at a horse racing venue that Sunday afternoon.

We placed a few bets – and won a few – and took part in a buffet dinner.  One of the items on the menu was barbequed pork belly.  The name was off-putting, but I had to try it.  I’d have a safe bet if I said I ate a pound or two of the stuff.  This particular dish uses pork belly, but rather than barbeque, I wanted a savoury version. 

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So, welcome, Dear Reader, to the start of my annual holiday-themed recipes. Traditionally, every year I share a series of recipes that you might already be familiar with. For example, I’ve previously shared 12 Holiday Trifles, 12 Holiday Bars & Squares, and even these 12 Edible Holiday Wreath recipes! Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

This year I’m doing it differently. Rather than sharing multiple back to back series, I’m sharing a new holiday-themed recipe almost every day from now until Christmas Eve. For those of you who have followed my annual Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas series, don’t worry, you will still get lots of new cookie recipes this year too. I will not, however, be publishing the cookies back to back in a 24-day series. This would have been my 8th year running the series and it becomes very exhausting, so this year, I’m spreading the recipes out so that I’m not sharing the same type of recipe every day.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! And, just in case you’re curious, you can see previous annual posts for my 24 Cookies of Christmas Series here!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE:

The list below lists what ingredients are needed and why they are important to this dish. A full list of ingredient measurements and preparation can be found in the recipe card near the bottom of this post.

• Pork Belly – Read the sections bekow which will guide you through which type of pork belly to use.
• Cooking Oil – Use canola, vegetable, olive, or avocado oil.
• Soy Sauce – Use low-sodium soy sauce. It’s always a safe bet when cooking or marinating so that you don’t over-salt the dish.
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Ground Black Pepper & Salt
• Pomegranate Molasses – This simple and deliciously thick syrup can be used to add sweetness and tartness to foods, or even increase the sweetness and tartness level in foods that are already a little sweet and tart. You can buy it or easily make your own. Here’s how!
• Honey
• Toasted Sesame Seeds
• Parsley – For flavour and garnish.
• Pomegranate Arils – For garnish and presentation.

HOW TO MAKE ROASTED POMEGRANATE PORK BELLY

Place the following ingredients into a bowl and toss well to combine: pork belly, cooking oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, ground black pepper, and salt. Set aside. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.

Once the oven is fully heated, arrange the pork belly on the prepared baking sheet being careful not to overlap. Roast for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, carefully turn each piece over, and roast for 20 additional minutes.

While the pork roasts, in a clean mixing bowl, whisk together the pomegranate molasses, honey, and sesame seeds. Once the pork belly is done and while it is still piping hot, transfer the pieces to the bowl with the pomegranate and honey mixture. Toss well to coat. Transfer the pork pieces to a serving plate. Garnish with the pomegranate arils and parsley. Serve immediately.

WHAT IS PORK BELLY?

Pork belly is an inexpensive, fatty cut of meat from the underside of the pig near the loin. Spareribs also come from this area. When kept whole, the cut looks like a brick of meat with a thick layer of flat running along the top and smaller layers of fat marbled throughout. A whole side of pork belly can weigh close to 12 pounds.

Pork belly can be cooked so many ways, but the most common and most recognizable functionality of pork belly is bacon. The side of the pork belly is stripped of its fatty outer layer and then smoked, cured, and sliced thinly. With a good recipe, a smoker, and some patience, you can make your own bacon at home. It seems to be everyone’s go-to breakfast meat.

Pork bellies are more traditionally seen in the cuisines of northern Europe and Asia. It’s traditionally used in cuisines where it plays both a starring role, like in pork belly bao, and a salty add-on to other dishes, like pancetta.

WHAT PORK BELLY SHOULD I USE?

I’ve seen pork belly in two different formats.  The first is a solid piece that resembles a package of thick-cut bacon.  It is usually about an inch or an inch and a half thick. It may or may not have the skin still attached and running along the top side of the pork. This is the cut you want for this recipe!

The second format looks like extra thick-cut bacon that has been laid flat.  It’s usually found layered on a Styrofoam meat tray. Most packages have four or five slices that are layered in a slightly overlapping fashion. I buy this version when I want to quickly cook a slice or two, but for this recipe, a whole slab of pork belly is best.

POMEGRANATE MOLASSES

Let me tell you about how easy it is to make pomegranate molasses! This simple and deliciously thick syrup can be used to add sweetness and tartness to foods, or even increase the sweetness and tartness level in foods that are already a little sweet and tart. A perfect example is a fruit salad. Even though fruit is already naturally sweet, some people like to add a drizzle of pomegranate molasses to their fruit salad to increase the sweetness, but to also act as a shiny glaze.

Pomegranate molasses is often found in desserts. Just like the shiny glaze in the fruit salad, it can be used to glaze baked goods. Think of things like donuts or sugary, sweet buns. That stickiness and sweetness on the outside is easily achieved with a pomegranate molasses syrup drizzle.

According to a quick Google search, you can purchase it almost anywhere, but I’m not able to easily find it where I live so I decided to make it instead. Large chain grocery stores should carry it, as well as bakery supply stores. Some liquor stores may carry it too, because it can be commonly found in cocktail recipes.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED AND HOW TO MAKE POMEGRANATE MOLASSES

To make my pomegranate molasses at home, you will need three ingredients. Get the recipe here! One of those ingredients is pomegranate juice. Unlike pomegranate molasses, I can easily find pomegranate juice just about anywhere. Next, you will need sugar. Lastly, you will need a little bit of lemon juice.

Add all of the ingredients to a sauce pan. Over high heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Stir to ensure that the sugar is not stuck to the bottom of the pan. We don’t want it to burn. Once the sugar is dissolved completely, allow the mixture to continue to boil for at least 30-45 minutes. Watch the molasses and stir more often during the last 15 minutes to avoid burning.

The juices and sugar mixture will reduce and thicken. Once done, the molasses will be syrupy and thick and the colour will have deepened to look almost black, but when poured or drizzled, the deep burgundy colour will shine through. Allwo the molasses to cool fully before transferring to a clean jar with a lid. Store in your fridge for up to six months.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down to follow me and never miss another recipe!