Sticky, slightly spicy and melt-in-the-mouth pork belly tucked into a soft brioche bun with quick-pickled vegetables and a jalapeño kick. An indulgent pork burger perfect for a weekend treat.
My sticky Chinese pork belly has been a long-time favourite on the blog. I’ve served it at banquets, as skewers for buffets, in a gluten-free version using tamari, as Gua Bao, and now I’ve transformed it into a burger.
Why is this pork belly so good? It’s all down to the simple three-stage cooking process:
- Slow-cook the pork belly for a couple of hours so the meat becomes tender and almost melts in the mouth.
- Pan-fry the pieces briefly to crisp and caramelise the edges.
- Toss the pork in a sticky, sweet and slightly spicy glaze until it’s glossy and coated.
There’s a moment after the first bite when conversation stops and everyone just eats. That’s the sign of a winner.
📋 What you need for the pork belly
- Pork belly – thick-cut, rindless strips work best; many supermarkets sell them pre-cut.
- Ginger, garlic, rice wine, sugar and hot chicken stock – the base for slow-cooking.
- Oil, salt, pepper, dark soy, lemongrass paste, chilli, honey and brown sugar – for the sticky glaze used during the final fry.
📋 To make the burger extra special
- Brioche buns – soft, lightly toasted brioche adds richness.
- Carrot, cucumber, red onion, cider vinegar, sugar and salt – for quick-pickled vegetables that cut through the richness.
- Leafy lettuce, sliced jalapeños and chilli flakes – for freshness and heat.
📺 Watch how to make it
Full recipe with detailed steps is in the recipe card further down the page.
👩🍳 PRO TIP Double the glaze if you want extra sauce for drizzling over the burgers.
Best Burger Ever!
🍽️ What to serve it with
- Oven-baked fries or sweet potato fries
- Vegetable matchstick fries
- Pizza fries for a decadent side
Assembled with quick-pickled carrots, cucumber and red onion, then topped with jalapeños and a sprinkle of chilli flakes for a spicy finish. Delicious and balanced against the rich pork.
🍲 More fantastic burger recipes
Street Food
The Ultimate Double Cheeseburger
Chicken
Crispy Chicken Burger with Honey Mustard Coleslaw
Meat
Brisket Sandwich with Garlic Sauté Potatoes and Coleslaw
Dinner
Halloumi Burgers with Sticky Chilli Sauce
Dinner
Cheesy Veggie Chickpea Burgers
Dinner
Crispy Fish Burger with Shoestring Fries
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Sticky Belly Pork Burger Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2.2 lbs) rindless pork belly slices, chopped in half (about 12 pieces total; 3 per burger)
- 1 litre (4 1/3 cups) hot chicken stock
- 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
- 1 tbsp rice wine
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
To fry the pork
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- Pinch of salt and pepper
Glaze
- 3 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp lemongrass paste
Pickled vegetables
- ½ cucumber, peeled into thin strips
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 small carrots, peeled into strips
- 1½ tbsp granulated sugar
- 3 tsp salt
- 180 ml (3/4 cup) cider vinegar
- 360 ml (1½ cups) room-temperature water
Also
- 4 brioche rolls, toasted and halved
- 8 lettuce leaves
- 1 jalapeño, sliced
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
Instructions
- Place the pork belly, hot chicken stock, ginger, garlic, rice wine and sugar in a large heavy-based pan. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer gently for 2 hours.
- While the pork cooks, prepare the pickled vegetables. Use a vegetable peeler to shave cucumber and carrot into strips; peel and thinly slice the red onion.
- Divide the cucumber and carrot into one jar and the red onion into a separate jar to avoid colour transfer. Mix the sugar, salt, cider vinegar and water, pour over the vegetables to cover, seal and refrigerate for at least an hour (they keep 2–3 weeks).
- When the pork is cooked, drain and pat dry. Reserve the cooking liquid if you like (it makes good ramen stock).
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the pork pieces in a single layer, seasoning with salt and pepper, until golden and starting to crisp, about 5–6 minutes, turning as needed.
- Meanwhile, combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Once the pork is golden, remove excess fat from the pan, pour in the glaze and cook, turning, until the pork is dark and sticky. Remove from the heat.
- To assemble, place lettuce on the bottom half of each brioche roll and pile on 2–3 pork pieces per burger. Top with drained pickled carrot and cucumber, red onion slices, jalapeño and a sprinkle of chilli flakes. Close the bun and serve immediately.
Notes
Note 1 – Double the glaze if you want extra sauce to drizzle. A larger quantity will take slightly longer to reduce to a sticky coating.
Note 2 – You can do the slow-cook stage in a slow cooker or an Instant Pot. In a slow cooker, cover the pork with stock and cook on low for 5–6 hours, then finish in a skillet. In an Instant Pot, set to 40 minutes (reader-tested).
Freezing: Freeze after the slow-cook stage and before frying. Thaw fully, then fry and finish with the sauce; it should take 15–20 minutes from defrosted to serve.
Gluten free: Swap rice wine for sherry (check labels), use gluten-free stock and replace soy sauce with tamari. It works well and stays very tasty.
Scaling: Double or halve the recipe keeping the same ratios and times. If doubling, fry in batches but you can slow-cook and glaze in a larger pan.
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 64 g |
Protein: 56 g |
Fat: 58 g |
Saturated Fat: 22 g |
Sodium: 3268 mg |
Fiber: 3 g |
Sugar: 27 g
Nutrition information is an approximation and should be used as a guide only.
This post was first published in March 2018 and updated in February 2022 with extra details and a recipe video.
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