A bold and flavorful recipe that’s easy to throw together in your slow cooker or crockpot is this Caramel Pork Belly for a tender, caramelized finish bursting with flavor. Made with pork belly, kecap manis, rice malt syrup, garlic, and star anise. This hearty Caramel Pork Belly dish makes a satisfying dinner that takes around 4 hours and 40 minutes to cook and serves 6 people comfortably.

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Recipe Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of grapeseed or rice bran oil
• 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) of skinless pork belly, cut into 5 cm (2 in) pieces
• 3 tablespoons of kecap manis
• 185 ml (¾ cup) of rice malt syrup
• 1 teaspoon of ground white or black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 tablespoons of fish sauce
• 4-star anise
• 250 ml (1 cup) of chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon of cornflour (only needed for slow cooker)
• 1 small bunch of snake beans or a handful of green beans, cut into 5 cm (2 in) lengths
• Steamed rice, Thai basil, and sliced chili, to serve

How To Make Caramel Slow Cooked Pork Belly

1. Heat Your Oil: In a large frying pan or wok, heat the grapeseed or rice bran oil over high heat until it’s shimmering, then cook the pork belly pieces for about 5 minutes until they are browned on all sides.
2. Combine Your Sauce: While the pork is browning, mix together the kecap manis, rice malt syrup, ground pepper, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, crushed garlic, fish sauce, and star anise in a bowl to create a rich, flavorful sauce.
3. Glaze the Pork: Once the pork is browned, pour the sauce mixture into the pan and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, allowing the pork to glaze and coated with the sauce.
4. Transfer to the Slow Cooker: After glazing, move the pork and sauce into your slow cooker. In a separate bowl, combine the chicken stock and cornflour, stirring until smooth, then, pour this mixture into the slow cooker and stir everything well.
5. Slow Cook for Perfection: Set your slow cooker to high and cook for 4 hours, allowing the flavors to meld together and the pork to become tender and caramelized.
6. Add the Beans: After 4 hours, skim any excess fat from the surface of the dish. Add the cut snake or green beans, and continue cooking for another 30 minutes until the beans are tender but still vibrant.
7. Serve and Enjoy: Once everything is ready, serve the caramel slow-cooked pork belly with steamed rice, garnished with fresh Thai basil and sliced chili for extra flavor and freshness.

Recipe Tips

• Add some depth to the sauce: Try using a splash of soy sauce along with fish sauce for a more balanced salty-sweet flavor.
• Use pork shoulder instead of pork belly: It has a bit less fat and cooks just as tenderly in the slow cooker, without losing the rich taste.
• For thicker sauce: Remove the pork belly at the end of cooking, then reduce the sauce on the stovetop for a few minutes until it thickens.
• Freeze leftovers: Once cooled, place the cooked pork belly and sauce in an airtight container and freeze for up to three months.

Recipe FAQs and Variations

Check out More Slow Cooker Recipes:

• Bored of Lunch Honey and Mustard Ham
• Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Pork
• Slow Cooker Pork Cheeks