Pork Belly Queso Fundido
A creamy cheesy queso fundido that uses pork belly instead of chorizo for a unique twist! I have been really craving queso fundido! The melty cheese, and spicy meat. And of course, I always want to eat tortilla chips. There is something so comforting about a big bowl of cheese coming to the table piping hot in the middle of a bunch of hungry friends.
The inspiration for this recipe
But of course, I wanted to do something different with it. I was at the market looking for inspiration, and walked by the butcher, and saw some beautiful strips of pork belly. At that moment, I knew what to do. I considered flavoring the pork belly like chorizo. Later I decided if we are going with something different, it should really be different! Some BBQ sauce in the pork belly instead and brought a great flavor to the queso fundido!
Cook the pork belly
cut the pork into smaller pieces and add it to a baking sheet. Add some vinegar, soy sauce, and spices, and cook slow and low for about two and a half hours.
Sauce the pork belly
After the meat comes out of the oven, it is crispy on the outside and tender in the middle. Toss it with some bbq sauce, mustard, hot sauce, and honey, and as you toss it, break it up a bit so it forms smaller bite sized pieces. I used a potato masher to help it break up.
Make the cheese mixture
Traditionally, queso fundido would just be chorizo on the bottom and cheese on top. I wanted there to be an additional creamy texture to this, since the pork belly isnt as saucy as the chorizo is. I did a layer in the middle of cheese mixed with a little cream cheese and hot peppers.
Build the pork belly queso fundido
First the pork and sauce, then the layer of cheese and cream cheese, and then a third layer of just cheese.
Bake and serve the pork belly queso fundido
Get it into the oven at 350 for about 25 to 35 minutes until the cheese is all melty and bubbly. I like to cover it also, so the top layer does not form a crust. If there is a crust, it is harder to dip into!
Serve with some pico on top and lots of chips on the side! You need to eat it quick, or the cheese hardens and it becomes harder to dip.
This is so good! The pork belly give that traditional queso fundido a totally new twist and texture that I love! And when there is cheese, chips, and pico de gallo, you can’t go wrong.
Twists on pork belly queso fundido
If you are looking for a traditional queso fundido recipe, check this one out! You could skip the cream cheese if you want to make this version easier and closer to the classic version too. If you are averse to heat, you could take out the hot peppers, but I don’t think they make things very spicy at all.
For more great pork belly recipes, check out my pork belly egg and cheese bao, pork belly mac and cheese, or this awesome pork belly and grits burger!
Pork Belly Queso Fundido
Ingredients
Pork belly before cooking
- 1 pound boneless skinless pork belly cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Pork belly sauce
- 1/4 cup bbq sauce
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
Queso fundido
- 2 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 10 ounces chihuahua cheese shredded
- 1 jalapeno minced
- 1 fresno pepper minced
Serve
- pico de gallo
- tortilla chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275
- Mix the pork with all the before cooking ingredients. Toss on a sheet pan. Cook at 275 for about 2 and a half hours until crispy on the edges and tender in the middle. Stir a few times during cooking.
- Add the pork to a bowl. Remove some of the excess fat. Add in the after cooking ingredients. Stir to combine, and mash up some of the pork as you do it to create smaller pieces and some shreds.
- Mix about 2/3 of the cheese with the cream cheese and the minced peppers. Stir to combine.
- Preheat oven to 350
- In a shallow oven safe dish with a cover, add the pork and sauce, and top with the cream cheese mixture. Then add the remaining cheese on top.
- Cover and bake for 25 minutes until all the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Oh snap, I’ll be doing this one this weekend!