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? ›

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 do we boil pork belly before frying? ›

The boiling creates microbubbles of steam in the fat and skin. Later at the frying step this makes the skin crispy and the fat very tender.

How to deep fry pork belly without splatter? ›

Have a splatter screen handy to protect from oil splatters.To prevent wild splatters, dry the pork belly well. I was taught years ago to continuously sprinkle cold water in the sizzling hot oil while the meat is frying to promote crackling.

Do you cook pork belly with oil? ›

If you're cooking pork belly on the stove, cut the meat into strips that are 1/4 to 1/2 inch to thin. To cook, lay the strips on a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Don't worry about adding additional oil, since pork belly has a high fat content.

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.

Should you boil pork before deep frying? ›

There are times when pork needs to be boiled before frying. Boiling makes it tender and gives is a more crisp texture when fried later on. This is true to dishes such as lechon kawali and crispy pata. Both these crispy pork dishes needed to be boiled first and then deep fried to attain that nice texture.

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.

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.

Can you deep fry raw pork belly? ›

Heat about 4 inches of oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Fry pork belly squares in batches until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

What is the best oil for frying pork belly? ›

Oil: Make sure you use oil that is made for deep frying like vegetable, corn or canola. They are not as healthy as olive oil but they have a high smoking point which makes them perfect for deep frying.

What is the best tool for crispy pork belly? ›

The Avanti Pork Belly Skin Crisping Tool and Meat Tenderiser is the perfect tool for making pork crackling.

What are 3 ways that pork belly can be cooked? ›

For pork aficionados, pork belly is IT. Here's a look at three easy ways to cook it: stovetop, grilling and oven roasted. It's a triple threat on the delicious front.

Is it better to cook pork belly fast or slow? ›

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.

What is the best oil for cooking pork? ›

7 Best Cooking Oils For Delicious Meat Every Time
  • #1 Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or EVOO as its often called) is often thought to be a poor choice for cooking. ...
  • #2 Light Olive Oil. ...
  • #3 Peanut Oil. ...
  • #4 Coconut Oil. ...
  • #5 Avocado Oil. ...
  • #6 Vegetable Oil. ...
  • #7 Sesame Oil.
Aug 28, 2020

Why is my crispy pork skin so 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. The drier it is, the crispier the skin.

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.

Does pork belly get more tender the more you cook it? ›

You can slow cook it in a slow cooker or oven at a low temperature for several hours until it's fully cooked and tender. This will help break down the tough connective tissues and collagen in the meat, resulting in a succulent and tender pork belly.

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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