This post contains affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
By far, this is my favorite way to make crispy pork jowl! It’s first fried like bacon, then coated in a sticky, sweet, and savory glaze and served with a simple dipping sauce. All in 20 minutes! Now, that’s a quick recipe!
If you’ve never had pork jowl before, you don’t know what you’re missing! It’s like the best bacon you’ve ever had, but richer, more tender, and more flavorful.
As it’s made up of almost entirely fat, jowl is an indulgent and amazingly delicious treat that my entire family craves.
Most often, when I’m cooking pork jowl, I just fry it in a skillet like I do with regular cast iron bacon. The flavor and texture hold their own even without any seasoning!
But when I have the time and want to get a little fancier, this is my go-to pork jowl recipe. The sauces perfectly complement the pork, and it gets a little caramelized as it simmers in the honey and butter.
If you’re looking for a unique and truly delicious appetizer, look no further than pork jowl! It’s a fun and dippable finger food, just like fresh milled pretzel bites, fried meatballs, or pan-fried egg rolls.
But it has the benefits of being insanely easy yet completely wow-worthy!
Table of Contents
What is Pork Jowl?
Also called hog jowl or jowl bacon, pork jowl is a delicious cut of meat that comes from the cheek and jawline of the hog. It has a lot of fat and connective tissue, which gives it a tender texture, plenty of flavor, and a mouthwatering richness. It looks similar to bacon and can be cooked in a similar way, but jowl has a much higher fat content than bacon.
Pork jowl is used in a variety of ways — oftentimes ground into pork sausage, or in Italy, seasoned and cured to make the popular guanciale. In the Southern United States, it’s typically fried up and enjoyed like any other pork cut!
My favorite way to prepare pork jowl is frying it, coating it in a sweet and savory glaze, and serving it with a dipping sauce, which you’ll see in this recipe!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy appetizer: This recipe is so simple to make, and it only takes around 20 minutes. It’s a great, easy appetizer for your next meal.
- Budget-friendly: Pork jowl is typically cheaper than similar cuts such as bacon or pork belly. It’s a great way to stretch your dollar while still enjoying delicious pork!
- Elevate your jowl: I mentioned that pork jowl tastes great fried up on its own. But you are going to be so glad you took the extra time to make this crispy pork jowl with dipping sauce! It’s an explosion of flavor with very little additional effort.
Key Ingredients
- Pork jowl: You can use either cured and smoked pork jowl — both are delicious.
- Honey: This makes the cooking sauce sticky and sweet, and helps to caramelize the jowl.
- Cornstarch: You’ll want a bit of cornstarch to thicken the sauce. This helps the sauce coat the jowl rather than steaming it and creating a runny mess.
Find a complete list of ingredients, including measurements, in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Crispy Pork Jowl
Step 1. Pan fry the pork jowl over medium heat until crispy.
Step 2. Remove from the pan and drain off the excess grease.
Step 3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the jowl back in, along with chicken broth, honey, and butter to the pan. Stir to combine.
Step 4. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water, then pour it into the pan. Stir and let it simmer for 3-5 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and begins to coat the pan. Toss the jowl with tongs to fully coat it in the sauce.
Step 5. In a separate bowl, mix together the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and red pepper flakes to make the dipping sauce.
Step 6. Serve the pork jowl warm with the dipping sauce on the side.
Tips + Notes
- You want the pork jowl fully cooked and slightly crispy before draining off the grease. Just try not to overcook the jowl in step 1, as it will continue to crisp up as it simmers in the sauce.
- You can make up to 2 pounds of pork jowl without adjusting any of the other ingredients.
- This recipe will work with both cured and smoked pork jowl. It tastes the best with thick cut.
Recipe FAQs
Pork jowl is not a common cut to find in grocery stores. You’ll have the best luck finding it at your local butcher or directly from a farmer.
While they are both fatty and tender, pork belly comes from the actual belly area of the hog, while jowl comes from the cheek and jawline. Pork jowl has a much higher fat content than pork belly, which has more muscle meat and therefore more protein. If you like pork belly, try my pork belly burnt ends!
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 3-5 days. To reheat it, you can pop it in the oven for a few minutes, microwave it, or reheat it in a skillet on the stove (be careful not to overcook it if using this method). I like to enjoy it with the dipping sauce again, but you can also add the jowl to sandwiches, salads, or eggs to repurpose it.
Related Recipes
If you tried this Crispy Pork Jowl or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Crispy Pork Jowl
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb cured pork jowl
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
For the Dipping Sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar sub with apple cider vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Pan fry the pork jowl over medium heat until crispy.
- Remove from the pan and drain off the excess grease.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the jowl back in, along with chicken broth, honey, and butter to the pan. Stir to combine.
- In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch and water, then pour it into the pan. Stir and let it simmer for 3-5 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and begins to coat the pan. Toss the jowl with tongs to fully coat it in the sauce.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and red pepper flakes to make the dipping sauce.
- Serve the pork jowl warm with the dipping sauce on the side.
Video
Notes
- You want the pork jowl fully cooked and slightly crispy before draining off the grease. Just try not to overcook the jowl in step 1, as it will continue to crisp up as it simmers in the sauce.
- You can make up to 2 pounds of pork jowl without adjusting any of the other ingredients.
- This recipe will work with both cured and smoked pork jowl. It tastes the best with thick cut.
My pork jowl always turns out dry and crusty hard. So excited to try this!
Thank you! Can’t wait for you to try it!
I think this pork jowl recipe is incredible! I love the idea of a glaze and the dipping sauce is just a plain brilliant! What a great alternative to cooking it like regular bacon
So happy to hear!