How to Cook Moo Grob - หมูกรอบ | Recipe for Making Thai Crispy Deep-fried Pork Belly | Thai Food Recipes (2024)

หมูกรอบ (Moo Krob)

Currently rated:How to Cook Moo Grob - หมูกรอบ | Recipe for Making Thai Crispy Deep-fried Pork Belly | Thai Food Recipes (2)
Rated 4.5 Stars from 4842 reader reviews

First published on November 10, 2013
Recipe by W. Tipsuwan

How to Cook Moo Grob - หมูกรอบ | Recipe for Making Thai Crispy Deep-fried Pork Belly | Thai Food Recipes (3)
Yield: About 1/2 Pound
Prep time: 2 - 3 Minutes
Cooking time: 30 Minutes
Ready in: 30 - 40 Minutes

Ingredient List:

  • 1 to 2 Pounds Pork Belly
  • 1 Tablespoon Distilled White Vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon Salt
  • 1 Quart Vegetable Oil

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About my Moo Krob:

About my Moo Krob:

Moo Grob (หมูกรอบ) is Crispy Deep Fried Pork Belly that is usually served as the meat ingredient in one of several different Thai dishes. However, it's so good that some people will just eat it all by itself or with one of our dipping sauces for meat. You can easily make your own Moo Grob at home, and you'll need to make it up first before your try our recipes for Pad Kaphrao Moo Grob, Pad Kana Moo Grob, or Pad Phrik Pao Moo Grob.

Step by Step Directions:

Step by Step Directions:

How to Make Moo Krob

How to Make Moo Krob

Step 1

Select a nice piece of pork belly that doesn't have a lot of fat. A very fatty pork belly will make very greasy Moo Grob. It should have several layers of nice pink meat and just a little fat below the outside skin.

Slice the pork belly into pieces about 1 - 1/2 inches thick, then cut the length if needed so the pieces are not too long for your pan. I usually make them about 6 inches long so they are handled easily when frying.

How to Cook Moo Grob - หมูกรอบ | Recipe for Making Thai Crispy Deep-fried Pork Belly | Thai Food Recipes (4)

Step 2

Depending on how much meat you are doing at one time, boil enough water to easily cover it, adding 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of distilled white vinegar for each quart of water. Par boil the pieces of pork belly for about 5 - 10 minutes, and keep checking it so it doesn't over-cook. You really just want to seal the outside of the meat. If it gets too soft the Moo Grob will be soft even after frying.

How to Cook Moo Grob - หมูกรอบ | Recipe for Making Thai Crispy Deep-fried Pork Belly | Thai Food Recipes (5)

Step 3

When it's done, the meat will still be very firm, and just a little of the fat will have been cooked away.

How to Cook Moo Grob - หมูกรอบ | Recipe for Making Thai Crispy Deep-fried Pork Belly | Thai Food Recipes (6)

Step 4

Let the pieces of meat dry very well before you start frying. Heat some oil in a pan deep enough so you can completely submerge the pieces of pork belly when frying. If you have a deep fryer, that's even better. I use a deep frying pan with about 1 quart of oil so I can do all of it at the same time, but you can use a smaller pot with less oil if you do the pieces one at a time.

How to Cook Moo Grob - หมูกรอบ | Recipe for Making Thai Crispy Deep-fried Pork Belly | Thai Food Recipes (7)

Step 5

Don't let the oil get too hot. Just keep the heat on medium, but keep checking so it doesn't burn. If you cook it too fast the meat will be too soft on the inside. It should cook for about 10 minutes or so. Keep the pan covered and open it carefully, as there might be a lot of popping and exploding as the meat cooks.

How to Cook Moo Grob - หมูกรอบ | Recipe for Making Thai Crispy Deep-fried Pork Belly | Thai Food Recipes (8)

Step 6

When the frying action starts to slow down and the meat is turning a nice golden brown, remove them from the pan. You'll notice that the meat might be a little rubbery, greasy, and not crispy at all. We're going to fry the meat a little more, but in the second cooking the oil has to be VERY HOT. Turn up the burner all the way, and wait until the oil is so hot that it's smoking a little.

How to Cook Moo Grob - หมูกรอบ | Recipe for Making Thai Crispy Deep-fried Pork Belly | Thai Food Recipes (9)

Step 7

After the oil is too hot, carefully put the meat pieces back in the pan. This time you'll notice that they immediately get puffed up and the skin gets crackly like deep fried pork skins. Let them cook for about a minute, then remove them to the cooling rack. As they cool they should be nice and dry and not oily at all. The skin should be rough, hard, and bubbly.

How to Cook Moo Grob - หมูกรอบ | Recipe for Making Thai Crispy Deep-fried Pork Belly | Thai Food Recipes (10)

Step 8

After it cools to room temperature, you can cut the pork belly into thin slices. It's all a matter of taste, but we like to keep the pieces small. Knives are rarely used when eating Thai food.

How to Cook Moo Grob - หมูกรอบ | Recipe for Making Thai Crispy Deep-fried Pork Belly | Thai Food Recipes (11)

Step 9

Your Moo Grob should be soft and moist on the inside, the skin should be hard and crispy, and the sides should be brown and crunchy. There should be at least 3 distinct layers of meat and fat on each slice. If there is, then you've done everything right.

How to Cook Moo Grob - หมูกรอบ | Recipe for Making Thai Crispy Deep-fried Pork Belly | Thai Food Recipes (12)

Step 10

You can keep Moo Grob in the refrigerator for up to a week. You should cut it into small pieces as needed so it stays moist inside. To find out how to use Moo Grob, other than just eating it by the handful, see our recipes for Pad Kaphrao, Pad Kana, and Pad Phrik Pao. Moo Grob makes an excellent meat alternative in these dishes where fresh sliced pork or chicken is normally used.

How to Cook Moo Grob - หมูกรอบ | Recipe for Making Thai Crispy Deep-fried Pork Belly | Thai Food Recipes (13)
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How to Cook Moo Grob - หมูกรอบ | Recipe for Making Thai Crispy Deep-fried Pork Belly | Thai Food Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why is my crispy pork belly not crispy? ›

If the skin hasn't completely transformed to crisp crackling, turn on the broiler and blast it for a further 10 minutes, keeping a close eye to make sure it doesn't burn. Remove cooked belly from oven, place on a board. Use a cleaver or roast slicer to cut into chunks and serve immediately.

How do you cook pork belly so it's not tough? ›

Preheat oven to 450°F. Roast pork belly for 30 minutes on the middle rack in a heavy, oven-safe pan or skillet, skin side up / fat side up. Reduce heat to 275°F and roast for an hour or more, until tender but not mushy. (Larger pieces of pork belly will take longer.

Why does pork belly get crispy? ›

You MUST DRY the pork belly with the skin EXPOSED in the fridge for at least 24 hours (48 hours is better). This will reduce the moisture and result in a super crispy skin.

How do you keep pork belly crispy? ›

It requires putting a thick layer of salt on the skin of your pork belly, making sure every inch of that pristine skin is covered in salt, then roasting it whole. Roasting this salt-covered belly in the oven will then draw out more moisture from the skin and form a hardened salt crust, which is then removed.

How do you get pork crackling extra crispy? ›

Preheat oven to 230°C, 210°C fan or Gas Mark 8. Put the joint in a roasting tin on the top shelf for 20 minutes. This sudden blast of heat is the key to crispy crackling. Reduce the temperature to 180-190°C, 160-170°C fan or Gas Mark 4-5 and follow the cooking times below to ensure the joint is cooked through.

How long do you boil pork before frying? ›

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower heat and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook until pork skin can be pierced with a knife with no resistance, about 1 hour.

Should I boil pork first before cooking? ›

So, no, you don't need to cook the meat before cooking it. Just make sure that it is cooked to a safe internal temperature whatever method you are using. Note that boiling in general is a sucky way to cook meat.

How do you know when pork belly is done boiling? ›

Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the pork belly and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 1 hour until the pork is cooked—test by piercing the pork with a chopstick. The chopsticks should go through the meat easily.

Why do you put vinegar on pork belly? ›

White Vinegar helps dry out the skin – but it has a secondary purpose of removing the odour! If you are prepared, place the Pork in the Fridge UNCOVERED overnight – the skin will dry out. When you pre-heat your oven, remove the pork from the fridge and let it return to room temperature.

How long should you cook pork belly for? ›

Pork belly needs a combination of slow, gentle heat to tenderise the meat, plus a shorter blast at a higher heat to crisp up the skin. Cook at 180C/160C fan/gas 4 for 2 hrs 15 mins, then turn up the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 for a further 35 minutes to crisp the crackling.

Why do you pour boiling water on pork belly? ›

boiling water trick

This helps to prep the skin to crackle as its now "pre-cooked" so to speak. Make sure to pat dry with paper towel to further dry afterwards.

Why won't my pork belly skin crispy? ›

The skin wasn't dry enough. Make sure to pat the pork completely dry before rubbing in the salt and oil as excess moisture will stop it from crisping up. It's important to score the skin if you want it really crisp. You'll need a sharp knife for this, or ask your butcher to do it for you.

Why put baking soda on pork belly? ›

It is a fact of life that dry skin crisps better than moist skin. Scotese's trick to crispy pork belly is to rub equal parts baking soda and salt into the skin—the combo of baking soda and salt will draw out moisture and set you up for success.

How to tell when pork belly is done? ›

One way to determine your porks' doneness is by the color of the juices that come out of it when you poke a hole in it with a knife or fork. If the juices run clear or are very faintly pink, the pork is done cooking. If they're mostly or entirely pink or red, it's best to continue cooking.

What if pork belly skin didn't crackle? ›

If you've missed a step along the way and the skin hasn't crackled, don't give up. Cut it away from the meat and place it on a baking tray lined with foil, then brush with oil and sprinkle with salt. Cook under a preheated grill until the magic happens. Keep a close eye on it as it can easily burn.

Why is my pork belly hard? ›

If the heat is too high, the skin will get rock hard, along with the meat. That's why we use medium heat when we fry. And don't forget to dry the pork as much as possible first.

Does cooking pork belly longer make it softer? ›

This is a tough muscle, so it needs a longer cooking time at low heat to breakdown the tough tissue." So, to serve up good roast pork, budget for at least 3-4 hours in the kitchen. If done correctly, a piece of roast pork should be so tender you can pierce its flesh with a fork.

What texture should pork belly be? ›

Once cooked (the pork should be tender; this can be easily tested by piercing the flesh with a knife), remove the pork from the oven, then leave to rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.

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