This decadent sticky pork dish tastes INCREDIBLE! It makes me feel like I’m eating at a fancy restaurant somewhere but, no, I’m actually at home in my slippers and track pants! You’d think this was complicated to make, but it’s actually quite simple. There’s not much chopping or fussing or pre-marinating and the prep is done in 15 minutes. It all goes into one pan (washing up goals!) to slow-cook and the end result is sticky, sweet, fork-tender pork flavoured with garlic, ginger, soy sauce, Chinese five-spice and star anise. I love serving this with steamed rice and greens, with plenty of the delicious sauce drizzled over the top.

The dish is only as spicy as you want it to be as the chilli is optional, so it’s family-friendly. Slow-cooked Sticky Pork Belly is comfort food x 100 and, once you’ve made it, you’ll struggle to pay for this again at that fancy restaurant or order takeout. It’s so satisfying and inexpensive to make at home! My family always look forward to the nights when I cook this dish, and it’s also super impressive to serve to guests. The leftovers are just gorgeous the next day, so I often make an extra-large batch. Even better, the dish freezes well.
What type of pork belly do I use?
The recipe calls for 1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) of pork belly, cut into 2–3 cm (3/4–1¼ inch) cubes. You don’t need to remove the rind/skin as it cooks down and becomes seriously soft and delicious as it cooks. Pork belly is a relatively low-cost cut of meat, I try to buy the best I can afford that’s sustainably produced, from a good-quality butcher where possible. Most good-quality butchers also only stock only female pork, which has a much less gamey flavour and smell.
What to serve with Slow-cooked Sticky Pork Belly?
Because the pork is rich and indulgent, I highly recommend serving it with something green. Try bok choy (pak choy), Chinese broccoli (gai lan), green beans, snow peas (mangetout), sauteed spinach or silverbeet (Swiss chard), broccolini or sliced cucumber. Another option is an Asian-inspired coleslaw with shredded cabbage, carrot, spring onion (scallion) and a sesame soy vinaigrette.
Watch how to make Slow-cooked Sticky Pork Belly
More of my favourite Asian-inspired recipes:
Crispy Sesame Chicken and Fried Rice
Wonton Dumpling Soup
Juicy Thai Beef Lettuce Cups
Honey Soy Chicken Bahn Mi

Slow-cooked Sticky Pork Belly
This decadently delicious Slow-cooked Sticky Pork Belly is made with simple ingredients in just one pan. It’s the perfect comforting family-friendly dish and also ideal for easy entertaining.
- Total Time: 2 hours 55 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) pork belly, cut into 2–3 cm (¾–1¼ inch) cubes (you can use up to 1.5 kg/3 lb 5 oz of pork belly for this recipe)
- 1 whole garlic bulb, peeled and roughly chopped (see note 1)
- 3 red onions, diced roughly (brown onions are fine too) (see note 1)
- 1 thumb-sized knob of ginger, sliced and cut into thin matchsticks (see note 1)
- ½ firmly packed cup (115 g) brown sugar
- ½ cup (125 ml) tamari or all-purpose soy sauce
- 1 tsp Chinese five-spice
- 2 star anise
- 2 cups (500 ml) water
- Sliced long red chilli (optional)
- Steamed rice and greens, to serve
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan over medium–high heat and cook the pork belly in batches for 5–8 minutes until browned and golden. Set aside.
- Add the garlic, onion and ginger to the same pan. Cook for 2–3 minutes until slightly softened and fragrant.
- Add the brown sugar, tamari (or all-purpose soy sauce), Chinese five-spice, star anise and water. Return the pork to the pan.
- Bring to a gentle simmer. Once simmering, reduce the heat to the lowest setting, place the lid on and cook for 2 hours. Check halfway through and add 1/2 cup (125 ml) of water if the sauce is sticking to the base of the pan. The sauce will be thin but will caramelise in the last 10 minutes of cooking time.
- Once cooked, the pork should easily break apart with a fork. If not, cook in 15-minute intervals until soft, adding an extra ¼ cup (60 ml) of water as needed.
- Once the pork is soft, remove the lid and turn the heat to high for 5–10 minutes to let the sauce thicken. It is ready when the sauce is sticky and coats the pork.
- Garnish with the sliced chilli (if using) and serve with steamed rice and greens.
Notes
Note 1 – Don’t worry about cutting the ingredients too finely; they will break down in the delicious, sticky sauce.
MAKE AHEAD
Pork – Cut the pork into pieces as per the recipe and refrigerate in an airtight container up until its expiry date.
Garlic, onion and ginger – Prepare these ingredients as per the recipe and refrigerate (separate from the meat) in an airtight container for up to 24 hours prior to cooking.
LEFTOVERS
Refrigerate cooked leftovers for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 2 months, ensuring the pork is well covered in the sticky broth to prevent freezer burn. Best thawed completely overnight in the fridge before reheating. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium–low heat with a splash of boiling water to help loosen the sauce.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 2 hours 40 mins
- Category: pork belly, slow cooker, braised pork belly, slow cooked pork
- Method: pan sear, slow cook
- Cuisine: Asian
Dan Teng says:
This is really good!
(I’m Chinese)
Similar my mom’s braised pork, though she uses pork shoulder, rock sugar and rice vinegar.
I added a little fish sauce for a very subtle umami flavor at the end.
Will be making this often.
Dan
Nicole says:
Hi Dan, thank you so much for your AMAZING feedback. It has really made my day. I am so thrilled that you enjoyed this and that it’s similar to your mom’s … high praise indeed! Nic x
Brian says:
absolutely amazing. the sauce was perfect with the Chinese broccoli and rice. Probably should have cooked the pork longer as it was still a little tough. Maybe 3-3 1/2 hours
Nicole says:
Thanks for your feedback, Brian. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Nic x
Jp says:
This was absolutely delicious! We ate so much that we got bloated. I didn’t have pork belly, so I used pork steak instead and it was super tender(just reduced around 10 mins simmer time).
Nicole says:
Hi Jp, glad you enjoyed this. What kind of pork steak did you use? I’d be interested to hear. Nic x
Amber says:
Any tips for using a slow cooker rather than the oven – outside temp is over 40 here the next few days so I’d love to cook it without turning on the oven?
Nicole says:
Hi Amber, You could use the slow-cooker but the sauce won’t reduce so there will be a lot of it – you could reduce it afterwards in a pan on the stovetop, but I know you’re trying to avoid that. You’d also have to fry the ingredients first, including the pork belly, as per the recipe. Not sure if this would work for you …. Nic x
Suzanne says:
This was amazing!
It took a while for my sauce to reduce but probably i didnt have it rapidly boiling in the beginning. Once i increased the temp to high it thickened. Well worth the wait. Heaps of left overs so will get two meals from 1.2kg pork belly. Thanks so much.
Nicole says:
Hi Suzanne, I am so glad you enjoyed the final result! Pork belly really is worth the effort, isn’t it! Nic x
Linda says:
Hi, just wondering if you can substitute with pork strips?
Nicole says:
Hi Linda, I’m not sure that it would work that well. But you might like to try my Easy Sweet and Sour Pork. Nic x
Craig Mcgregor says:
Recipe isn’t accurate, 500ml water all ingredients perfect yet the liquid won’t thicken
Nicole says:
This recipe is one of my favourites – Here are some trouble shooting tips if the liquid isn’t thickening. 1. The first step of the recipe is searing the pork. Ensure the pork is well sealed prior to adding any liquid. This removes any excess moisture. 2. To thicken the sauce, cook on medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes (or until the sauce has thickened) – it needs to be rapidly simmering. If it’s not, increase the heat to high so that it is bubbling rapidly. This allows for the sugar to caramelise. 3. The recipe also suggests using a heavy-based frying pan, this helps to reduce the sauce more quickly. A pot or saucepan will mean the sauce doesn’t reduce as rapidly. I hope that these tips help! Nic x
Gill says:
Our family absolutely loves this dish. It’s on our meal plan every 2 weeks. It’s takes a while to make, but OMW it is so worth it. We don’t add the chillies.
Nicole says:
So glad you love it! xx
Paul C says:
Normally I follow these type of recipes and are somewhat disappointed by the end result. This was different , so flavoursome and tasted better than restaurant. Can’t wait to try other recipes
Nicole says:
I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed it! xx
Hannah says:
So good and so easy!
Greer says:
Love all the flavours but found mine was too liquid-y at the end. I only added the 500ml as recommended. Any suggestions on what I can do to get a thicker sauce?
Nicole says:
Hi Greer! Thanks so much for your message – I’ve popped some extra comments into the recipe on how to get a nice, sticky sauce! I hope they help. Nic x
Simone Griessel says:
I actually thought my husband of 10yrs was going to propose again. What a hit!
Nicole says:
Haha! Love it! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you so much for taking the time to comment and rate the recipe. Nic x
Katie says:
Another great recipe! Easy to prepare, minimal ingredients and delicious!
Tyrone Dark says:
What a great recipe, first time cooking it and it was a huge success! My whole family loved it and now I’m going to have to make it more…
Jac says:
I took most of the skin off and just left a quarter of it. Also cooked low in the oven. Family loved it. Really easy and tasty
ashleeclark says:
Love this recipe, easy and the whole family loves it
Nicole says:
We had pork belly out last night, my husband looked over at me and said, “yours is better”. 😂 I am so glad you guys love it as much as we do. Thank you so much for taking the time to write. Nic x
elisedsa says:
Incredible and a go to. I’m making this fir the second time tonight and it’s a dinner party.
Nicole says:
This is so fantastic to hear – We love this recipe too 🥰