Pressure Cooker Pork Belly Kakuni Recipes

PRESSURE COOKER PORK BELLY (KAKUNI)

Steps:

• Gather all the ingredients. My pork belly was from a Korean market and it was pre-sliced into ¼ inches (6 mm). If you buy a block of pork belly, you can freeze the meat for 30-60 minutes and slice with a sharp knife (see this post) or cut into 2 inches x 2 inches or 5 cm x 5 cm cubes, which are typical Japanese pork belly (Kakuni) shapes.
• We will only use the green parts of the green onions (How about using the white parts in miso soup to go with this dish?). Cut the green parts in half. Peel the ginger and slice it thinly.
• Press the "Sauté" button on your Instant Pot (I use a 6 QT Instant Pot) and heat the oil. Add the pork belly in a single layer, searing both sides. You may need to work in batches. If so, transfer ones that had been seared to a plate. When you finish, put all the seared pork belly back in the pot. Tip: You can skip the searing process to cut down your entire cooking time, but it will render more fat and make the dish tastier.
• Pour water just to cover the meat, then add the green parts of the green onions and sliced ginger. Cover and lock the lid. Make sure the steam release handle points at "sealing." Press the "Keep Warm/Cancel" button on the Instant Pot to stop cooking. Press the "Manual" button to switch to the pressure cooking mode. Change the cooking time to 35 minutes.
• If you're using a stove-top pressure cooker, cook on high heat until high pressure is reached. Then reduce the heat to low to maintain high pressure for about 30 minutes.
• When it is finished cooking, the Instant Pot will switch automatically to a "Keep Warm" mode. Slide the steam release handle to the "Venting" position to let out steam until the float valve drops down, OR let the pressure release naturally (takes about 15 mins). Unlock the lid and drain the cooking water and discard the green onion and ginger. Rinse the pork belly under warm water.
• Put the pork belly back in the Instant Pot and add water, sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar. Mix the seasonings a little bit and add the boiled eggs. Press the "Sauté" button on the Instant Pot and press "Adjust" once to increase the heat. Bring it to simmer to let the alcohol evaporate (no more than a minute). Then press the "Keep Warm/Cancel" button to turn off the Sauté mode. Cover and lock the lid. Make sure the steam release handle points at "sealing." Press "Manual" and set the cooking time to 10 minutes for sliced pork belly and 20 minutes for pork belly cubes.
• When it is finished cooking, the Instant Pot will switch automatically to a "Keep Warm" mode. Slide the steam release handle to the "Venting" position to let out steam until the float valve drops down and unlock the lid. If you have time (this is optional), press the "Sauté" button and simmer on low heat until the liquid in the cooker has reduced by half.
• Serve the rice in a (donburi) bowl and pour the sauce on top. Place the pork belly and egg (add blanched green vegetable if you have any). Pour additional sauce over the meat and serve immediately. If you like it a bit spicy, sprinkle shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice). Enjoy!

INSTANT POT CRISPY PORK BELLY

Steps:

• Score Pork Belly: Use a sharp knife to lightly cut (~2mm into the meat) lines diagonally across the meat side of the pork belly, then cut lines diagonally across in the opposite direction (see photo).
• Pressure Cook Pork Belly: Add 2 tsp (12g) fine salt, 2 tsp (3.5g) five spice powder, 1 tsp (5g) granulated sugar, ½ tsp (1.9g) white pepper, 1 tbsp (15ml) regular soy sauce, 6 crushed garlic cloves, 2 tbsp (30ml) Shaoxing wine, and 1 cup (250ml) cold water in Instant Pot. Mix well. Add in pork belly (skin side up), then lightly sprinkle salt over the pork skin. Try to make sure the skin is not submerged in the cooking liquid. Close lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing position.1" Thick Pork Belly: Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 19 minutes + 15 minutes Natural Release1.25" Thick Pork Belly: Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 22 minutes + 15 minutes Natural ReleaseTurn the Venting Knob to Venting Position. Open the lid.
• Prep Pork Belly Skin: Remove & place the pork belly on a chopping board. Pat pork skin really dry with paper towels. Use a fork to poke holes all over the pork skin. *Pro Tip: The holes should only penetrate the skin and the fat part of the pork belly. Poke as many holes as you can for maximum crunchy cracklings. Pat the skin really dry again with paper towels. Mix ½ tsp (3g) fine salt and ½ tsp (2.5g) baking powder together. Sprinkle the baking powder mixture all over the skin, then brush a few layers of vegetable oil on the skin.
• Broil in Oven/Air Fryer: *Pro Tip: It's best to broil the pork belly before cutting it into serving size, so the pork belly can retain more moisture.Option 1 - Oven/Toaster Oven: Place the pork belly (skin side up) on an oven tray, then place the oven tray on the top rack. Use the "Broil" function (or Airfry setting), set Temperature to 400°F - 425°F. Broil pork belly until the skin is golden brown, bubbly, very crunchy. *Note: Depending on your oven, this process will take roughly 18 - 25 minutes.Option 2 - Air Fryer Lid: Place the air fryer basket with the tray on the middle rack in Instant Pot. Layer the pork belly (skin side up) on the air fryer tray in Instant Pot. Place the Air Fryer Lid on Instant Pot. Press "Broil" button, set Temperature to 400°F and Cooking Time to 20 minutes.*Note: You'll need to broil for an extra 10 - 12 minutes, which means the total cooking time will take roughly 30 - 32 minutes. *Pro Tip: You can open the lid to check the progress. The pork belly skin should be golden brown, bubbly, and crispy.
• Serve Crispy Pork Belly: Place Crispy Pork Belly on a chopping board and let it cool down a bit. Chop it up into tasty bite sizes! You can serve them with rice, hoisin sauce, and yellow mustard on the side. Enjoy these addictively delicious Cantonese Roasted Pork~