Name: Roast Pork Belly Toasts with Blood-Orange BBQ Sauce and Pickled Red Onion
Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time: 3 1/2 hours
Yield: Makes 40 hors d'oeuvres
Ingredients: One 2-pound piece of boneless, skinless pork belly; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 large onion, cut into thick wedges; 1/2 fennel bulb, cut in thirds, fronds reserved; 2 to 3 sprigs thyme; 4 strips blood orange or regular orange zest; 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1 cup dry white wine; 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth; 1/4 cup red-wine vinegar; 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar; 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced; 2 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil, such as grapeseed; 1/2 fennel bulb, minced (about 1/4 cup); 1/2 large shallot, minced (about 1/4 cup); 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar; 1 bay leaf; 1 star anise; 1 cup blood orange or regular orange juice (from 4 to 6 oranges, or store bought); 1 large baguette or 2 medium baguettes, cut into 40 1/4-inch thick slices and toasted; Reserved fennel fronds, roughly chopped; Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, for sprinkling

Image may contain Plant Food Dish Meal and Platter

Roast Pork Belly Toasts with Blood-Orange BBQ Sauce and Pickled Red OnionTara Donne, food and prop styling by Diana Yen

This meltingly tender pork belly is an impressive yet surprisingly easy hors d’oeuvre to make—all you need is patience. The pork belly, barbecue sauce, pickled onions and crostini can all be completed at least three days ahead of time, making day of prep a breeze.

Cooks' Note:

DO AHEAD: The pork belly, bbq sauce, and crostini can be prepared up to 3 days in advance. Refrigerate the pork and BBQ sauce, and store the crostini at room temperature. The pickled onions can be made up to 1 week in advance and refrigerated.

Recipe notes

See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips

Our 54 Best Hot Appetizer and Hors d'Oeuvre Recipes
Kick off your next party with our favorite hot appetizers—think cheesy dips, saucy meatballs, chicken wings, and more.
40 Valentine's Day Appetizers That Set the Right Mood
And that mood is: "satiated."
10 of Our Top-Rated Holiday Cocktail Party Recipes
Start off a holiday party right with these four-fork appetizers and hors d'oeuvres.

Caramelized Onion Pasta

Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.

Heavenly Halva Cake

Serve a thick slice for breakfast or an afternoon pick-me-up.

Vodka Gochujang Pasta

This pasta has some really big energy about it. It’s so extra, it’s the type of thing you should be eating in your bikini while drinking a magnum of rosé, not in Hebden Bridge (or wherever you live), but on a beach on Mykonos.

Our Favorite French Onion Soup

Caramelized onions, melty Gruyère, and a deeply savory broth deliver the kind of comfort that doesn’t need improving.

Kung Pao Cabbage With Tofu

Reliable cabbage is cooked in the punchy sauce and then combined with store-bought baked tofu and roasted cashews for a salad that can also be eaten with rice.

Smothered Italian Sausage

This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.

Golden Mushroom Soup With Orzo & a Pat of Butter

This is the type of soup that, at first glance, might seem a little…unexciting. But you’re underestimating the power of mushrooms, which do the heavy lifting.

White Bean Turkey Chili

A dash of cocoa powder adds depth and richness to the broth of this easy turkey chili.

Recipe notes

Our 54 Best Hot Appetizer and Hors d'Oeuvre Recipes

40 Valentine's Day Appetizers That Set the Right Mood

10 of Our Top-Rated Holiday Cocktail Party Recipes