This Keto Coffee Barbecue Pork Belly is perfectly crispy outside, while being tender and juicy on the inside. The coffee flavor, paired with the sweet and savory barbecue flavor is a match made in heaven.
If you are a fan of crispy pork belly, then this recipe is sure to become a favorite
Smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, sea salt, espresso powder, and keto-friendly brown sugar substitute combine to make a delicious dry rub with just a little kick of spice and a whole lot of flavor. Rub that all over 2 pounds of pork belly and cook with beef stock, and the result is a tender, juicy, perfectly cooked pork belly with a slightly caramelized, crispy crunchy crust. Is there anything better? I certainly don't think there is. Although admittedly, I go the easy route quite often and buy the precooked kind from Trader Joes. Then all I have to do is sprinkle on some low carb barbecue dry rub and pan-fry it to get it nice and crispy. SO, SO GOOD! Can you tell that I am a huge fan of pork belly in all its delicious forms?
How to cook pork belly
Pork belly is actually really easy to cook, but it intimidates a lot of people for some reason. This method is fool proof. By coating the pork belly with a bit of olive oil, the dry rub will form a nice crust on the outside to lock in all of the flavor and juices. Adding beef stock helps to keep all that moisture from evaporating during the cooking process. The best part? The beef stock will cook down a bit, mixing with excess dry rub. You can drizzle the sauce on greens and plate for a perfectly balanced keto meal. From there, it is sliced and then pan-fried to get a perfectly crispy outside, while still being tender and juicy inside.
Store bought sugar free barbecue sauce? Or homemade bbq sauce?
While I appreciate a good keto barbecue sauce on pulled pork or even grilled chicken, for this recipe, the dry rub is key. Pork belly needs a dry rub in order to achieve that super satisfying crunch. Trust me on this: go the dry rub route with pork belly. The flavor and juiciness of this keto pork belly recipe are locked in by the two-part cooking method. First the pork belly is baked in the oven to give it that tender and juicy texture on the inside, then it is pan-fried to get that perfectly crispy outside. The dry rub is part of what achieves this, and you just wouldn't get the same results using a low carb barbecue sauce... or a high carb barbecue sauce for that matter.
Pair this Coffee Barbecue Pork Belly with some of my favorite keto side dish recipes:
- Loaded Mock Keto Potato Salad
- Pork Belly Wedge Salad
- Buffalo Chicken Jalapeno Poppers
- Buttery Cauliflower Rice Pilaf
- Skillet Roasted Bacon Brussels Sprouts with Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce
- Paprika Roasted Radishes with Onions
Coffee Barbecue Pork Belly
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups beef stock
- 2 pounds pork belly
- 4 tablespoons olive oil (this is my favorite brand)
- 1 batch Low Carb Barbecue Dry Rub (get the recipe here)
- 2 tablespoons Instant Espresso Powder (I use this brand)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Heat the beef stock in a small saucepan over medium heat until hot but not boiling.
- In a small bowl, mix together the barbecue dry rub and espresso powder until well combined.
- Place the pork belly, skin side up in a shallow dish and drizzle 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over top, rubbing it over the entire pork belly.
- Sprinkle the rub all over the pork belly and rub in well to evenly distribute.
- Pour the hot stock around the pork belly and cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Slice into 8 thick slices, or 16 slices if you like a crispier pork belly.
- Heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and sear each slice for 3 minutes on each side or until desired level of crispiness is reached.
Notes
Net carbs per serving: 2.6g
Nutrition
- Calories: 644
- Fat: 68g
- Carbohydrates: 3.4g
- Fiber: .8g
- Protein: 24g
Keywords: pork belly recipes, barbecue recipes, low carb recipes, keto recipes, sugar free barbecue, low carb bbq, pork belly, low carb pork recipes, keto pork belly
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Kyndra Holley says
Hi Joanne, your best bet is to find a local butcher, or ask the butcher counter at your local grocery store. If you have a Trader Joe's nearby, they sell pork belly as well.
Aleksandra says
Just made it. Scrumptious.
Do you think i could adapt it and roast a pork shoulder joint this way? I'm fishing for ideas for what to cook for non keto people that are invited to my bday bash. They may turn their noses on too much fat😉
Oh, and all the meat is going to.be served as cold cuts
★★★★★
Anu says
This was easy and tasty, thanks very much for sharing. We halved the amount of chile powder in the rub as the one we have is super hot, and that was just the right amount for us. The pork was well cooked in 45 minutes, but even after frying the 16 pieces in the skillet, it wasn't as crispy as we'd hoped. Is this because the pork belly is cooked in a tin tightly covered n aluminium foil? Usually when we roast pork loin in the oven, we don't use any liquid or aluminium foil, just two cooking temperatures (high first to crisp up the skin, then low to cook the meat) and that seems to do the trick. Did we do something wrong with this recipe?
★★★★
Shanna says
This was AMAZING! We made it yesterday and I broke my 72 hour fast with all this melty deliciousness. It did take much longer than 45 minutes to cook (and we planned on that). But the flavor was fantastic!