Candied Pork Belly Bites, Sugar-Free

📍 Where this dish comes from: Memphis, Tennessee · Beale Street Historic District
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Candied pork belly brings the same sweet-savory-spicy combination found in candied yams or glazed ham, built instead around crisp, rendered pork belly. It’s rich, a little sticky, and exactly the kind of bite that disappears fast off a party tray.

What You’ll Need

Candied Pork Belly Bites, Sugar-Free

Crispy-edged pork belly cubes glazed in a sugar-free brown sugar and cayenne caramel.

Print Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 340kcal

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs pork belly cut into 1-inch cubes
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup brown sugar substitute
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

• Season pork belly cubes with salt and pepper.
• Heat a dry skillet over medium heat and add pork belly cubes, rendering fat and browning on all sides, about 15–18 minutes.
• Add butter, brown sugar substitute, cayenne, and smoked paprika to the skillet.
• Cook, stirring frequently, 5–7 minutes, until the pork belly is glazed and sticky.
• Serve warm on toothpicks or small skewers.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 340kcal | Protein: 14g | Fat: 30g

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Health Benefits

• A sugar-free glaze delivers the classic candied flavor without the sugar spike of a traditional version.
• Pork belly, though rich, is naturally free of carbohydrates when prepared without added starch.
• Best enjoyed as an occasional party dish given its richness.

Pairs Well With

• Smoked Turkey Collard Greens
• Cauliflower "Potato" Salad, Mustard Style