Pork Belly Relleno with Burnt Tomato Sauce and Fermented Black Bean Crust
Twice-cooked pork belly relleno stuffed with liver mousse, finished with charred tomato emulsion
Recipe Overview Cuisine: Modern Kapampangan | Category: Main Course | Serves: 4
Prep Time: 45 minutes | Cook Time: 3 hours 15 minutes | Total Time: 4 hours
Why This Works
Traditional Kapampangan relleno gets reimagined through pork belly instead of poultry, creating layers of texture you can’t achieve any other way. The initial poach renders fat while keeping meat supple. Stuffing with liver mousse adds the iron-rich depth Kapampangan cuisine demands without reaching for adobo spices. This pork belly relleno technique delivers a modern take on Filipino comfort food. Finishing with a fermented black bean crust delivers umami intensity and crackling texture against silky meat. The burnt tomato sauce brings necessary acidity through char rather than vinegar, cutting through richness while amplifying the Maillard complexity from the crust. Each element serves a specific purpose in flavor balance and texture contrast.
Pork Belly Relleno Ingredients (Serves 4)
For the Pork Belly:
- 1200g skin-on pork belly, single piece with uniform thickness
- 2L water
- 60ml patis (fish sauce)
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 bay leaves
- 10g black peppercorns
For the Liver Mousse:
- 200g pork liver, cleaned and deveined
- 80ml heavy cream, room temperature
- 40g butter, softened
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 15ml cognac
- 5g salt
- 2g white pepper
For the Black Bean Crust:
- 60g fermented black beans (tausi), rinsed and drained
- 40g panko breadcrumbs
- 30ml neutral oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 10g brown sugar
- 5g chili flakes
For the Burnt Tomato Sauce:
- 600g Roma tomatoes, halved
- 1 large white onion, quartered
- 8 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 60ml neutral oil
- 250ml pork stock (from poaching liquid)
- 30ml calamansi juice (or Meyer lemon)
- 20ml fish sauce
- 10g palm sugar
- Salt to taste
For Assembly:
- Kitchen twine
- Bamboo skewers or toothpicks
How to Make Pork Belly Relleno
Mise en Place (20 minutes)
Butterfly the pork belly by cutting horizontally through the center, stopping 1cm from the edge to create a book fold. Pound gently to even thickness at 2.5cm. Prepare poaching aromatics. Have all liver mousse ingredients measured and at room temperature – cold cream won’t emulsify properly. Toast panko until golden before mixing with black beans. Set oven racks at middle and upper positions.
Initial Poach (90 minutes)
Combine water, fish sauce, garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorns in a pot large enough to submerge the pork belly flat. Bring to 185°F/85°C over medium heat. Slide in pork belly skin-side up. Maintain temperature between 180-190°F/82-88°C – not a rolling boil. Poach for 90 minutes until meat reads 145°F/63°C internally. Remove pork and rest on a wire rack set over a sheet pan, skin-side up. Reserve 250ml poaching liquid for sauce. Pat skin completely dry with paper towels.
Liver Mousse (15 minutes)
Sear liver in a hot pan with 20g butter for 2 minutes per side until browned but still pink inside (135°F/57°C). Rest 5 minutes, then rough chop. Blend liver with remaining butter, cream, garlic, cognac, salt, and pepper until completely smooth, scraping down sides twice. Pass through a fine-mesh sieve. Mousse should coat a spoon and hold its shape.
Burnt Tomato Sauce (45 minutes)
Toss tomato halves, onion quarters, and garlic cloves in 40ml oil. Spread on a baking sheet cut-side up. Broil on upper rack for 15-20 minutes until deeply charred – you want black edges, not just brown. Some liquid will evaporate and caramelize. Squeeze garlic from skins. Blend charred vegetables with pork stock until smooth. Strain into a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes to concentrate. Add calamansi juice, fish sauce, and palm sugar. Reduce until it coats the back of a spoon. Adjust salt. The char provides bitter complexity that balances pork richness.
Black Bean Crust (10 minutes)
Mash fermented black beans with the flat of your knife into a rough paste. Heat 30ml oil in a pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add black bean paste, breaking it up as it cooks, 2 minutes. Stir in brown sugar and chili flakes until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and fold in toasted panko. Mixture should be crumbly but hold together when pressed. Let cool to room temperature.
Stuffing and Rolling (15 minutes)
Open butterflied pork belly on your work surface, skin-side down. Spread liver mousse evenly across the meat surface, leaving a 2cm border on all edges. Starting from the long edge, roll tightly like a Swiss cake. Secure with kitchen twine at 3cm intervals. Pin the seam with bamboo skewers at 5cm intervals to prevent unrolling during final cook. The roll should be firm and uniform.
Final Roast (35 minutes)
Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C. Score the skin in a crosshatch pattern, cutting through skin and fat but not into meat. Pat completely dry again – moisture prevents crisping. Press black bean crust mixture firmly onto the scored skin, packing it into the cuts. Place on a wire rack over a sheet pan. Roast for 25 minutes until crust is dark and crispy. Internal temperature should reach 155°F/68°C. Rest 10 minutes before slicing. Resting allows carryover cooking to 160°F/71°C while juices redistribute.
Slicing and Plating (5 minutes)
Remove twine and skewers. Cut roll into 2cm thick rounds with a sharp chef’s knife, wiping blade between cuts. Each slice should show a spiral of liver mousse through pork. Spoon warm burnt tomato sauce onto plates. Place two slices per serving over sauce. The contrast between crispy crust, tender pork, and silky mousse defines each bite.
Pork Belly Relleno Tips and Techniques
Critical techniques: The initial poach at sub-boiling temperature keeps meat tender while rendering fat – a rolling boil toughens protein fibers. Drying the skin thoroughly between poach and final roast ensures crackling forms properly. The black bean crust needs toasted panko as a base; raw breadcrumbs steam rather than crisp.
Timing flexibility: Your pork belly relleno can be poached and stuffed up to 24 hours ahead; store rolled and wrapped tightly in refrigerator, then bring to room temperature 30 minutes before final roast. Tomato sauce holds for 3 days refrigerated. Black bean crust loses texture if made more than 4 hours ahead.
Common issues: If skin doesn’t crisp, your pork wasn’t dry enough or oven temperature dropped. If mousse leaks during cooking, you didn’t roll tightly enough or seal the edges properly. If pork is tough, your poaching liquid boiled rather than simmered.
Your Finished Pork Belly Relleno
Each slice reveals a perfect spiral – bronzed crust giving way to tender pork embracing a core of silky liver mousse. First bite delivers crackling from the fermented bean crust, followed by the yielding richness of twice-cooked pork, then iron-sweet liver mousse that melts across your palate. The burnt tomato sauce cuts through with bright acidity and smoky char, resetting your mouth for the next bite. Properly executed pork belly relleno keeps the liver mousse centered, the pork remains juicy, and the crust maintains its texture against the sauce.
Pork Belly Relleno Nutrition Information (Per Serving)
| Calories | 820 kcal |
| Protein | 48g |
| Fat | 64g |
| Saturated Fat | 24g |
| Carbohydrates | 18g |
| Fiber | 3g |
| Sodium | 1,680mg |
| Iron | 6.2mg |
Flavor Balance
Sweet (6/10): Palm sugar and caramelized pork fat provide baseline sweetness. Tomatoes contribute natural sugars intensified through charring, creating Maillard complexity rather than bright sweetness.
Salty (7/10): Fish sauce in both poaching liquid and tomato sauce establishes savory foundation. Fermented black beans add mineral salinity with funky depth that standard salt cannot achieve.
Sour (5/10): Burnt tomato sauce delivers acidity through char and calamansi rather than vinegar, maintaining brightness without the sharp bite of traditional Filipino sour profiles.
Bitter (4/10): Charred tomato skins and burnt aromatics contribute pleasant bitter notes that cut richness. Black peppercorns from poaching liquid add subtle bitterness to meat.
Umami (9/10): Multiple umami sources layer complexity – pork itself, liver mousse, fermented black beans, fish sauce, and Maillard compounds from searing and charring create sustained savory depth.
Wine Pairing for Pork Belly Relleno
Recommended: Barossa Valley Grenache-Shiraz-Mourvèdre (GSM)
Why: The rich, fatty pork belly relleno demands a wine with both body and freshness to cut through the richness. Barossa GSM blends deliver ripe dark fruit that complements the caramelized pork fat while maintaining enough acidity to balance the dish. Grenache contributes bright red berry notes that echo the tomato sauce’s fruitiness. Shiraz adds peppery spice that mirrors the black pepper and chili in the crust. Mourvèdre provides earthy, meaty undertones that harmonize with the liver mousse’s iron richness. The wine’s medium tannins grip the fatty pork without overwhelming the delicate mousse. Temperature matters here – serve at 60-65°F/15-18°C so fruit stays vibrant and doesn’t turn jammy against the dish’s heat.
Alternatives:
McLaren Vale Shiraz: The fuller body and concentrated dark fruit of McLaren Vale Shiraz stands up to the fermented black bean crust’s intensity. Its characteristic eucalyptus and mint notes provide aromatic lift that cuts through pork richness. The wine’s higher alcohol (typically 14-15%) matches the dish’s weight, while integrated oak adds vanilla sweetness that bridges caramelized pork fat. Choose producers who maintain freshness despite ripeness – look for balanced acidity around 5.5-6 g/L to prevent the pairing from feeling heavy.
Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon: This wine’s structured tannins provide textural contrast against fatty pork while cassis and blackberry fruit complement the burnt tomato sauce’s sweetness. Margaret River Cabernet maintains higher natural acidity than Barossa reds, offering more pronounced palate-cleansing between bites. The herbal notes (mint, bay leaf) echo the poaching aromatics, creating flavor continuity. Best with producers who use moderate oak (30-40% new) so wood doesn’t compete with the dish’s fermented and charred elements. The wine’s firm structure requires the fat content of pork belly – leaner proteins would make tannins seem
