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Tender, juicy, crispy roasted pork belly served with fresh tomatoes, onions, cilantro, chimichurri sauce and tangy cotija cheese make these Pork Belly Tacos some of the best tacos you'll ever eat!
Guuuuuys....these Pork Belly Tacos are life. So, so SO damn good. What makes me sad is that they're gone.
Luckily, these pork tacos are insanely easy to make. Like super, duper, crazy easy. And I just have to reiterate, in case you haven't heard me yet, that these pork belly tacos are TO DIE FOR.
Related: Chinese braised pork belly and braised pork shanks
You have to make them. Period. You need this deliciousness in your life. Life can be real difficult sometimes, but it's a whole lot better if you're eating these tacos.
**If you're a taco fiend like me, check out these amazing Spicy Lamb Tacos, Spicy Pork Bulgogi Tacos or these Spicy Shrimp Tacos - you're going to want all the tacos!!**
Why This Recipe Works
Cooking the pork in the instant pot allows it to get super tender and juicy. Like fall-apart tender.
Roasting the cooked pork belly in the oven crisps up the fat making for these perfect flavor packed crispy bits of pork and fat.
The fresh toppings complement the richness of the pork belly perfectly, as well as serving this Instant Pot Spanish rice on the side.
Check out the pork belly taco story.
The Ingredients
These pork belly tacos have a South American flair and are amazing served with Chimichurri sauce. Make you own Chimichurri sauce, or buy it HERE. (affiliate link)
Orange juice, cumin, lime and chipotle peppers are used to season the pork while it cooks in the Instant Pot.
The full list of ingredients in included in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
What is Pork Belly?
Pork belly is a cut of meat from the belly of the big, hence it's name. When you're shopping for pork belly, try to find the leanest cut you can to get the most meat out of it. Buy pork belly.
It is best cooked using a slow cooking method (like I use to make this kakuni), or a pressure cooker as we use in this recipe. Once cooked, it is melt-in-your-mouth tender and just incredibly rich and delicious.
You can also cook it over extremely high heat (like a wok) as I do for this Twice Cooked Pork or this air fryer pork belly.
What is the Difference Between Pork Belly and Bacon?
Pork belly is not smoked or cured. While they come from the same part of the pig, the preparation is different.
Like I stated above, pork belly is typically slow cooked until tender, while bacon is sliced thin and fried (and perfect to use in recipes like this bacon gravy or bacon jam). Pork belly is used to make bacon, but bacon cannot be used as a substitute for pork belly in recipes.
The Instant Pot
and me have become best friends. If you haven't bought one yet and want to decide whether it's for you or not, check out my full review here. I talk all the positives AND negatives for the Instant Pot. (affiliate link)
Step By Step Instructions
For this recipe, we cook the pork belly in the Instant Pot first, then roast it to get all that crispy goodness. I buy my pork belly in strips (see the photo below), but you can buy it whole as well. If you buy it whole add another 5-10 minutes to the cook time.
**I highly recommend making your own Chimichurri sauce. It's super easy and you're going to want to put it on everything.**
How to Cook Pork Belly in the Instant Pot
Add the pork belly, orange juice, garlic clove, chipotle pepper, cumin, lime juice and 1 teaspoon of salt to the Instant Pot. Set to cook on high pressure for 60 minutes.
Now is the time to make your chimichurri sauce if you haven't already. You can also gather your other ingredients so you're ready to eat when the pork belly is done.
OR, take a nap. Watch some Netflix. Scroll Instagram. Read a book. You know. Relax. I prefer this option.
Then preheat the oven to 425F.
Once the pork belly is done, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then use the quick release to release the remaining pressure.
Place it on a baking sheet, sprinkle with the remaining teaspoon of salt and roast in the oven for 20 minutes at 425F, until crispy and caramelized.
Remove the roasted pork belly from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Use a fork or your hands to shred it into bit sized pieces.
Put some pork belly in the tortilla and top with diced tomatoes, fresh cilantro, sliced red onion, sliced jalapenos, cotija cheese, fresh lime and a drizzle of cilantro chimichurri.
Get ready to fall in love with these crispy pork belly tacos. And by love I mean heart wrenching "I never want to live a day in my life without this" kind of love.
Expert Tips
- If you use whole pork belly instead of sliced, add 5-10 minutes to the cook time.
- If you don't have chimichurri sauce, any salsa can be used in it's place. Try this Spicy Green Salsa or this fresh tomato salsa. This cucumber pico de gallo is also amazing with these tacos!
- Flour or corn tortillas can be used. I personally prefer flour, but corn works just as well.
- The roasted pork belly should be crisp and caramelized. If not, place it back in the oven for another 3-5 minutes until the fat has crisped.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can pork belly be made in advance? The pork belly can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat it in a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, until sizzling.
Why is my pork belly tough? Typically, tough pork belly means it need to cook for longer. If you are using more pork belly than the recipe calls for, or it is in larger chunks, you will need to increase the cook time in the instant pot, as well as the roast time in the oven.
Can you freeze pork belly? Leftover pork belly can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months in an airtight container or bag. Thaw in the fridge overnight and heat in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes, or until warmed through.
Rate the recipe and leave a comment to let me know how it turned out!
Crispy Pork Belly Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork belly
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 chipotle pepper (in adobo sauce)
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoon salt
- Flour or corn tortillas (small taco or street taco size)
- Cotija cheese (for serving)
- Diced tomatoes (for serving)
- Cilantro (for serving)
- Chimichurri (for serving)
- Sliced red onions (for serving)
- Fresh lime wedges (for serving)
Instructions
- Combine the pork belly, orange juice, garlic, chipotle pepper, cumin, 1 tsp. of salt and lime juice in the Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure for 60 minutes.
- Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then use the quick release to release any remaining pressure.
- Heat the oven to 425F. Place the pork belly on a rack over a parchment paper lined baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with the remaining teaspoon of salt. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes until crisp and caramelized.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool. Once cooled, shred with a fork or chop in small pieces.
- Assemble your tacos with 1-2 tablespoons of pork (depending on tortilla size), diced tomatoes, fresh cilantro, crumbled cotija cheese and a drizzle of chimichurri sauce.
Expert Tips:
- If you use whole pork belly instead of sliced, add 5-10 minutes to the cook time.Â
- If you don't have chimichurri sauce, any salsa can be used in it's place. Try this Spicy Tomatillo Salsa.
- Flour or corn tortillas can be used. I personally prefer flour, but corn works just as well.Â
- The roasted pork belly should be crisp and caramelized. If not, place it back in the oven for another 3-5 minutes until the fat has crisped.
- The pork belly can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat it in a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, until sizzling.
- Leftover pork belly can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months in an airtight container or bag. Thaw in the fridge overnight and heat in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes, or until warmed through.Â
Nutrition
Ermias Giovanni
My go to pork belly taco recipe. It's bookmarked, I follow it exactly, and it never fails me. My friends that are lucky enough to be invited for dinner on the day I make them think I'm a genius.
I love you Danielle!
Danielle
This makes my day Ermias! I'm so glad you like it 🙂
Jenni
I think my oven is just special... 20 min was way too long for me, and the pork was pretty charred.
Would make again, just baking for shorter.
Danielle
Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear that. Ovens can be soooo frustrating, I wish they were more consistent.
Melinda Quintanilla
Hi, I was in the middle of making this recipe when my instapot made its last and final attempt. Am I able to cook this in the oven?
Danielle
Oh no! Yes, you can always cook it in the oven, it will just take longer. Just put it in a dutch oven (with all the cooking liquid) and cook on 375F until cooked through and tender.
Amanda
Do you think this recipe would work well with beef belly? I have a 2lb beef belly and have never cooked one before.
Danielle
I have never tried to make it with beef belly before, but I don't see why not? You may need to braise the beef belly a little longer because it can be tougher, but should work out fine.
Kim S
This was amazing and your chimichurri sauce was outstanding. I’m making this again this weekend for a group of friends and had to do a test run to make sure I liked it and that it would go smoothly. It’s a big wow!!
Danielle
I'm so glad to hear that! Thank you for giving it a try 🙂
Vicky Bray
Hello I was looking at your recipe to make the pork belly tacos. I went down to try to read comments from people who made them because I’d like to get there impression of the tacos if they did anything different. But I can only see two comments and both are and how to make it. I even hit the link for older comments and nothing was brought up. Are they on other websites like your Instagram or or any of the other social media? The tacos look delicious I just like to read the comments! Thank you.
Danielle
I see what you're saying. This is very strange. I checked some other posts and it's working fine on those. I'm going to have to do some tech research!
Sue
Can you make this in a crock pot? If so how long would you cook?
Danielle
I've never made it in a crockpot, but I would cook it on low for 6-8 hours. Start at 6 hours and see if it's tender. Add another hour or two if it's not tender tender yet.
aleta
Hello!
Can this recipe be tripled? And if so, what additional cooking instructions would you suggest?
Thank you!
~aleta
Danielle
You can definitely triple it! The same cook time should actually work, but if you're concerned you could consider adding 10 extra minutes to the time.
Catherine Friend
If i am using a slow cooker, how long should i do it for a slab? or for slices?
Danielle
I would cook it for about 3-4 hours on high, but I have never cooked pork belly in the slow cooker so I can't guarantee the results. I don't see any reason why 3-4 hours wouldn't work though.
Cathy Friend
Hi Danielle,
I tried the slow cooker and did it for 5 hours on low. Its almost falling apart but intact. It might be that I cut my pork a little bigger slices. It turned out great, then I put it in the oven longer around 30 minutes total for both sides. We loved the chimichurri sauce with it. Thank you so much! I love different flavor of sauce in tacos. This recipe is awesome! will do this again.
Danielle
I'm so glad you liked it! Sound like 4 hours might be better next time to prevent it from falling apart.
Barbara McMorrow
I am going to use 3lbs of strip PB from Costco. How long in instant pot AND how should I arrange in instant pot? New to instant pot and not an adventurous cook, but EVERYTHING I’ve made has been amazing and PB is my favorite thing to order at Asian street fairs!! In advance, thanks
Danielle
You should be able to cook it for the 60 minutes if it's in strips. I would try to keep it in 1 layer, but it should also be fine if it's overlapped. If for some reason it comes out tough, I would pressure cook it for another 10 minutes. But it should come out great!
Melissa
Hi, if I were to double the pork how much longer would you cook for in the instant pot?
Danielle
I would add about 15 minutes to the cook time. Enjoy!
Shawn
Am I able to cook this with pork belly strips?
Danielle
You definitely can, just be sure to reduce the cooking time by a few minutes.
Cassandra
Did you cook the pork whole or sliced before cooking?
Danielle
You can do either. If it's still whole, I'd add an extra 5-10 minutes to the cook time.
Neha
Tacos are my favorite meal. I can eat them almost every day! Infact I have plans to make some tomorrow and I guess I am going to try this delicious recipe out!
Danielle
I hope you do get to try these Neha!
Amanda Mason
I am loving the orange juice and cumin in this recipe! And it's a no brainer to make this in an Instant pot. That kitchen gadget is the best invention ever! Seriously - loving this recipe!
Danielle
It is seriously such an awesome invention! Thanks Amanda 🙂
Jenni LeBaron
I totally agree, life is better when you're eating tacos! These roasted pork belly tacos sound superb. I really like the orange juice marinade, it reminds me of a marinade for pork shoulder used in Cubanos. These would be a hit at my house for sure!
Danielle
Thanks Jenni! The orange juice really adds something special to the flavor 🙂
Rebecca Blackwell
You know, I've made pork every which way, and chimichurri sauce is my FAVORITE, but I've never cooked pork belly. Reading this recipe, I can't imagine why because these tacos look soooo good. I'm going to look for it at my local market and make these. Thanks so much for the recipe! I'll let you know how it goes!
Danielle
Pork belly is so easy to cook (especially in the Instant Pot) and just incredible! I hope try it out 🙂
Anna
These tacos are so delicious looking! I'm hungry just by looking at the photos here! Other half loves pork, and pork belly is probably his all-time favourite so I can't wait to share this recipe with him!
Danielle
Thanks Anna! I hope you guys enjoy it 🙂
Paula Montenegro
Beautiful tacos! Anything with pork is very welcomed in this house, and I adore chimichurri as any good Argentinian must. Gorgeous recipe, thanks for sharing!
Danielle
Pork is one of the best meat IMO. Thanks so much Paula!