Weber Q Pork Belly with Crackling

[sleeprequired]

Hi All,

I have been reading everywhere on how to do pork belly with good crackling. The pieces i am doing are generally for 2 and around 500g. I have tried drying the skin out overnight, and then covering with salt only. I have tried rubbing oil and salt without letting the skin dry out (in the fridge) overnight. There are just so many techniques.

I was hoping to some expert advice on prep and cooking method on the weber q 220. I have a roasting trivet... should i use foil underneath?

Looking forward to getting some advice from you guys!

[Captain Cook]

Mate
Unfortunately it is the one dish that I cant do in the Q220 I can cook belly pork any which way to sunday but dammed if I can get the crackling to crackle. I end up doing it under the grill if I need crackling ( I do for Chinese roast pork belly)
If you slow cook it, the temp is too low to crackle it. If you do High temp direct or indirect the cook time is too short and the meat is too moist.

The grill is the only way.

Cheers

[MrBrown]

score, salt, rub some red wine vinegar, then finish with more salt

In the oven I start and finish 15mins on high with low in the middle which seems to work. Perhaps use the oven as well as the bbq?

But what would I know, I'm sure someone with far greater knowledge than me can help

[sleeprequired]

Mate
Unfortunately it is the one dish that I cant do in the Q220 I can cook belly pork any which way to sunday but dammed if I can get the crackling to crackle. I end up doing it under the grill if I need crackling ( I do for Chinese roast pork belly)
If you slow cook it, the temp is too low to crackle it. If you do High temp direct or indirect the cook time is too short and the meat is too moist.

The grill is the only way.

Cheers

thanks for that... it's pretty much what i've been doing... are you able to get crackling with the other q's? ie is it just the 220?

[sleeprequired]

score, salt, rub some red wine vinegar, then finish with more salt

In the oven I start and finish 15mins on high with low in the middle which seems to work. Perhaps use the oven as well as the bbq?

But what would I know, I'm sure someone with far greater knowledge than me can help

red wine vinegar hey?

[MrBrown]

score, salt, rub some red wine vinegar, then finish with more salt

In the oven I start and finish 15mins on high with low in the middle which seems to work. Perhaps use the oven as well as the bbq?

But what would I know, I'm sure someone with far greater knowledge than me can help

red wine vinegar hey?

works for me

[Captain Cook]

thanks for that... it's pretty much what i've been doing... are you able to get crackling with the other q's? ie is it just the 220?

No I haven't been successful with any of my BBQs with the Chinese roast belly pork crackling. There are a few factors that stop it from happening.
I can get standard roast pork crackling with the Q220 but my belly pork recipes don't. Try Mr Browns method, you will need to do it indirect at max heat. Do a 15 minute preheat first and the pork at room temp. Leave the Q on full throttle for the entire cook which should not take too long - about 40 minutes is my guess, but check at 30 minutes.

Cheers

[Captain Cook]

Sleeprequired
Here is a recipe for bellypork if you want to try something different.
You can finish of with a marmalade instead of the tangy BBQ sauce if you wish.
I developed this recipe for the belly pork a few years ago but I got the sauce recipe from somewhere/someone I think it may have been from the Weber archives.

Tangy Barbecued Pork Belly

2 Kg piece of pork belly
1 litre bottle of Coca Cola (not diet)
2 star anise
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tablespoons of Weber Tangy Barbecue Sauce

Place pork belly in a baking dish and cover with coca cola add the star anise and cinnamon, cover and tightly seal with a double sheet of aluminium foil
Preheat the Q on high for 10 minutes Place a doubled over sheet of foil on the grate slightly larger than the baking dish and place the baking dish on top. (this will help prevent the meat from burning and sticking.
Turn the Q down to low and cook for 2 ½ hours.
Remove the meat and let it stand for ½ hour. Cover with the Weber Tangy Barbecue Sauce and roast indirectly on a roasting trivet for 20 – 30 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes and serve

Recipe prepared by “The Gourmet Cabernet” alias “Captain Cook”


Weber Tangy Barbecue Sauce
An excellent Kansas-City style sauce for consistently great tangy-sweet flavour every time. It’s a long-time Weber favourite!

1/2 cup chopped celery
3 tablespoons chopped onion
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
pinch of salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet cook celery and onion in butter until tender. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Serve warm with grilled beef, pork, or chicken, or brush on meats during last 10 minutes of grilling time.

Enjoy

[Pinyata]

I don't think it's possible to get crackling within a bbq, not exactly sure why, but I'm guessing it has to do with not being able to get the intense heat onto the skin, but as you say, if you crank the heat then you just burn the bottom. My experience has always been to leave it in a bed of salt for a few hours to suck the moisture out, bbq it, then finish it under the grill. Moisture is definitely the enemy when it comes to good crackling, so never baste the skin while it's cooking.

I usually sit the belly side in a mix of 5 spice and apple cider vinegar, and rub the top down with a chili salt rub. I call it home made prozac for when I'm feeling depressed.

[Buccaneer]

I don't think it's possible to get crackling within a bbq, not exactly sure why, but I'm guessing it has to do with not being able to get the intense heat onto the skin, but as you say, if you crank the heat then you just burn the bottom. My experience has always been to leave it in a bed of salt for a few hours to suck the moisture out, bbq it, then finish it under the grill. Moisture is definitely the enemy when it comes to good crackling, so never baste the skin while it's cooking.

I usually sit the belly side in a mix of 5 spice and apple cider vinegar, and rub the top down with a chili salt rub. I call it home made prozac for when I'm feeling depressed.

You can get crackling on a BBQ Pinyata, but you can'y get it on a weber Q220. Along with a few other things like charred medium rare steaks.
Sob.

[Fbergs]

Hi

I am fairly new to the weber q, especially roasting however I have tried roasting pork and pork belly. The results with the crackling where good with the roast pork but not with the pork belly, as people have been saying. But this has got me thinking... Could it possibly be because the pork belly is not very high. Where as a regular roast is closer to the lid. There would probably be faster moving airflow etc up there..... So do you think that maybe if you raise the trivet up so the pork belly would be closer to the lid that might make better results?

I'd love to give it a shot but I think that I've reached my pork belly quota for the month and just wanted to see if anyone has played around with this.

[Captain Cook]

Hi

I am fairly new to the weber q, especially roasting however I have tried roasting pork and pork belly. The results with the crackling where good with the roast pork but not with the pork belly, as people have been saying. But this has got me thinking... Could it possibly be because the pork belly is not very high. Where as a regular roast is closer to the lid. There would probably be faster moving airflow etc up there..... So do you think that maybe if you raise the trivet up so the pork belly would be closer to the lid that might make better results?

I'd love to give it a shot but I think that I've reached my pork belly quota for the month and just wanted to see if anyone has played around with this.

The reason is that the cook is too quick and the Q220 temp drops when you put meat in it as the meat absorbs all the heat quickly.

If you roll the perk it makes a difference.

Cheers

[Tasmaniac65]

Hey Captain, I am going to do this Pork Belly as I promised my daughter so when we were reading it together a while ago, some questions if I may?
With a smaller Belly say 1.6kg would you reduce the cooking time in the Cola bath? or stay at 2 ½ hrs?
What is a good internal temp for a flat pork belly on the final cook? I use about 67C for Rolled Belly.
How Tasty/Spicy is the sauce coating after the final cook would it be too so for kids or not too strong?
Would you remove skin to crackle and just baste the meat alone?
much appreciated
Tas

[urbangriller]

I don't have a Q so can't really comment on times, but the 2.5 hours sounds ok at a low temp. 65-75C is good for Pork.

Yes, I'd deal with the crackle on it's own.

That sauce is Tangy, not HOT!

Cheers
Chris

[Tasmaniac65]

Thanks Chris much appreciated I am going to start this in the next hour so very timely, cheers
Tas