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.

Ingredient Notes
- Pork belly: For this Coffee Barbecue Pork Belly recipe I used fresh pork belly. It does take longer to prepare, but the effort is worth it. If you want a pre-cooked pork belly that you can just marinate and quickly sear, I recommend the one that Trader Joe's sells. (Try my Crispy Pork Belly Wedge Salad)
- Instant Espresso: This gives you the rich, deep coffee flavor in a really concentrated form. A little goes a long way. (I use this brand)
- Brown sugar erythritol: I used this in place of the brown sugar you might traditionally find in a barbecue rub, in order to keep it low in carbs. (I use this brand)
- Barbecue Dry Rub: For this recipe, I make my own rub from scratch. That way I can control the ingredients. Most store bought rubs contain a lot of sugar. (more spice rub and seasoning blend recipes)
Step by Step Instructions
STEP 1: Prepare the coffee barbecue dry rub
STEP 2: 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.
STEP 3: Pour the hot stock around the pork belly and cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.
STEP 4: Bake for 45 minutes. Then, slice into 8 thick slices, or 16 slices if you like a crispier pork belly.
STEP 5: 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.
Recipe tips and variations
- Storage: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days
- Change up the rub: Instead of the coffee barbecue rub, try making this with my Herby Everything Seasoning
Frequently asked questions
Coat the pork belly with a bit of olive oil, and then coat in dry rub. The dry rub will form a nice crust on the outside to lock in all of the flavor and juices. Adding beef stock to the dish helps to keep all the moisture from evaporating during the cooking process. Then slice it and then pan-fry to get a perfectly crispy outside, while still being tender and juicy inside.
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PrintCoffee Barbecue Pork Belly
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups beef stock
- 2 pounds pork belly
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 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
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Appetizer Recipes
- Method: Pan-Seared
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 pieces or 4 pieces if cut thinner
- Calories: 644
- Fat: 68g
- Carbohydrates: 3.4g
- Fiber: .8g
- Protein: 24g
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!
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?
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
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.