Mexican🥩 Meat

Yucatecan Crispy Pork Belly (Castacán)

Name: Yucatecan Crispy Pork Belly (Castacán)
Total time: 1 h 55 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 Skin-on pork belly; 4 cups Pork lard; ~2 tbsp Salt; ~¼ heads Cabbage; ~1 Red onion; ~1-2 Habanero chili; ~2 Tomato; ~1 Radish; ~¼ cups Cilantro; 3 tbsp Lime juice; ~2 Avocado; ~12 Corn tortillas; ~¼ cups Chicharrón (fried pork skin)

⏱ 115 min

A signature Yucatecan dish featuring skin-on pork belly slowly poached in lard until tender, then crisped in hot oil until the skin puffs into chicharrón-like texture. The cooked pork is diced and combined with a fresh salpicón of red onion, cabbage, radish, tomato, habanero chili, and cilantro, brightened with lime juice. Served at room temperature with warm corn tortillas and avocado for authentic Yucatecan-style tacos.

Adapted from a video by Rick Bayless

Let's Make Castacán Yucateco

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

Skin-on pork bellyAbout 1 inch thick, approximately 1.5 pounds, skin-on is essential1
Pork lardFresh rendered pork lard, about 2 pounds, enough to completely submerge the pork4 cups
SaltFor curing the pork and seasoning the salpicón~2 tbspest.
CabbageFinely diced for the salpicón~¼ headsest.
Red onionFinely diced and rinsed to remove harsh flavor~1est.
Habanero chiliFresh, finely diced for the salpicón~1-2est.
TomatoFinely diced for the salpicón

Steps

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1
Score the skin of the pork belly with crosshatch marks at half-inch intervals, cutting about a quarter inch deep. Be careful not to cut all the way through the skin.
2
Salt both sides of the pork belly generously and let it rest for at least an hour to allow the salt to penetrate the meat.
3
Heat about 4 cups of pork lard in a wide pot over medium heat until melted. Ensure the pork belly is completely submerged. Monitor the temperature with a thermometer to maintain around 250°F.
4
Slowly poach the pork belly in the 250°F lard for about 1.5 hours until the meat becomes very tender. Occasionally glance at the thermometer to ensure the oil temperature stays consistent.
5
While the pork cooks, prepare the salpicón ingredients. Finely dice the red onion, cabbage, radish, tomato, and habanero chili. Rinse the diced onion under cold water to remove the harsh flavor and drain well.
6
Combine all the salpicón ingredients—cabbage, radish, tomato, red onion, habanero, and cilantro. Add about 3 tablespoons of fresh lime juice and salt to taste, making sure the flavors are bold and tangy to balance the richness of the pork.
7
After 1.5 hours, remove the pork belly from the lard and place it on paper towels to drain. The skin should be browning but not yet crispy.
8
Increase the lard temperature to 370°F. Once the temperature is reached, return the pork belly to the oil with the skin side down. Fry for about 5–6 minutes until the skin puffs up and becomes completely crispy and crunchy like chicharrón. Monitor closely to ensure it crisps all the way through.
9
Remove the pork from the oil and cut it into roughly half-inch pieces, slicing along the scored lines. Each piece should include the crispy skin, fat, and tender meat.
10
Mix the diced castacán with the salpicón in roughly equal proportions. The mixture can be served at room temperature or warm.
11
Place warm corn tortillas on a plate. Spoon the castacán and salpicón mixture onto each tortilla. Top with avocado slices and optionally garnish with crumbled chicharrón for extra crunchiness.

Yucatecan Crispy Pork Belly (Castacán)

Ingredients

Steps

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