Melt-in-Your-Mouth Pork Belly with Apple & Onion Sauce (Slow Cooker)

Just LOOK at it! A thing of beauty. This is a very easy recipe that doesn't require a whole lot of effort, but it does require a whole lot of patience. To get the melty tenderness that we are looking to achieve here, we are going to be cooking this gorgeous chunk of meat in the slow cooker on low for 8 hours AFTER we apply a dry rub that will sit on the pork belly overnight. Then, to get the top layer of fat all crispy and blackened we will be broiling the pork belly in the final steps.

Beautiful pork belly rubbed down with brown sugar, cayenne & salt^

After I made this recipe I noticed that many other pork belly recipes recommend leaving the pork, fat side up, uncovered to dry out the fat in the refrigerator overnight. Unaware of this tip, I covered mine and it still turned out deliciously. So try this tip if you're up for it or just do exactly what I did!

After leaving the rub on the pork belly overnight it gets laid over top of sliced onion and apple in the slow cooker, fat side up, with BBQ sauce on top.

As the pork cooks, the apples and onions will cook down into the sauce. Make sure to reserve the remaining sauce in the slow cooker - we're not done with it yet!

The final step is to broil the pork belly, fat side up, until crispy and blackened. I used a skinless pork belly, but if yours still has the skin-on just follow the same directions. One tip for skin-on is to make some slices in the skin prior to broiling in order to control where the skin splits.

Prep time: approx 24 hrs (to leave the dry-rub on overnight)

Cook time: approx 8.5 hrs

Serves: 2-3

What you need:

• Approx 2 lbs skinless pork belly (or, skin-on works too!)

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 1/2 tbsp salt

• 1/2 tbsp cayenne

• 1 onion, sliced

• 1 large apple, skin on, cut into cubes

• 1 cup BBQ sauce

• 1 cup water

• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

What you do:

1. In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, cayenne, and salt. Rub the mixture all over the pork belly, covering all sides generously. Chill overnight or for a minimum of 4 hours. Note: After I made this recipe I noticed that many other pork belly recipes recommend leaving the pork, fat side up, uncovered to dry out the fat in the refrigerator overnight. Unaware of this tip, I covered mine and it still turned out deliciously. So try this tip if you're up for it or just do exactly what I did!

2. After the pork has chilled overnight, arrange the sliced onion and apple along the bottom of your slow cooker. Lay the pork belly, fat side facing up, over the apple and onion and then cover with the BBQ sauce, water, and apple cider vinegar.

3. Cook on the low setting for 8 hours.

4. After 8 hours, gently transfer the pork (fat side facing up) to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Do not get rid of the remaining sauce in the slow cooker! Broil on the lowest setting for anywhere from 20-30 mins, monitoring carefully. If your pork belly has the skin-on, make a few slices in the skin prior to broiling to control where the skin cracks. Depending on how much fat each pork belly has, broiling time will be different. We want the pork fat to get completely charred and crispy. Note: My pork belly pictured above turned out a bit more charred on the edges than I had wanted, because I broiled it on high for the first 10 mins or so before realizing that the low setting was better. Oops!

5. While the pork belly broils, transfer the remaining sauce from the slow cooker to a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and then reduce heat. Continue stirring until the sauce is thickened. Tip: While the sauce thickens, feel free to use a potato masher to mash down some of the soft apples and onions for a less chunky and more smooth sauce.

6. Once the pork belly is finished broiling, cut into strips and serve with the sauce drizzled over top. Enjoy!