Chinese Roast Pork Belly
The crispy skin on this classic Cantonese roast pork belly is really something else. Bubbly, crispy, crackly; contrasted with the juicy, tender, and intensely savory flavor of the pork belly. It looks intimidating but it's surprisingly easy and straightforward to make. Great for a party dish as it's basically infinitely scalable. Would recommend giving it a try sometime!
Active Time: 40 min
Total Time: 24 hr
Ingredients
> pork belly (1 lb)
> five-spice powder (1/2 tsp)
> salt (1/2 tsp)
> sugar (1/2 tsp)
> white pepper (1/4 tsp)
> Shaoxing wine (1 tbsp)
Instructions
1. Mix the marinade ingredients: five-spice powder, salt, sugar, white pepper, Shaoxing wine.
2. With the skin-side down, cut 1-inch spaced cuts into the pork belly. Only cut through the lean part -- take care not to cut through the layer of fat closest to the skin.
3. Brush the marinade all over the meat (but not on the skin)
4. Create a small aluminum foil "tray" for the pork belly by placing the pork belly, skin-side up, on several sheets of aluminum foil and folding the sides in.
5. Wipe the skin dry with a paper towel. Using toothpicks or a paring knife, poke many holes all around the skin. The more holes the better!
6. Store uncovered in the fridge for >12h and up to 48h. At this point, the skin should be really dry + hard.
7. Poke some more holes in the skin and gently brush on a bit of vinegar + a sprinkling of salt.
8. Bake in the oven at 350F for about 30m. For larger pieces, you may need to bake it for longer. The skin should begin to have tiny bubbles at the edges.
9. Remove from the oven, and baste the skin with the rendered pork fat. Then return it to the oven and broil over high for about 6-8m, or until the skin becomes bubbly all over.
10. Remove from the oven and let rest for >5m. Slice through each cut, then cut into individual pieces. Serve and enjoy!
Notes/Tips:
> For this dish, you'll want to make sure that your pork belly is skin-on, and relatively flat. The skin is critical to achieving the crispy skin, and a flat piece of pork belly ensures even cooking.
> Storing the pork belly uncovered in the fridge is critical to dry out the skin, thereby allowing it to crisp up better when it's roasted / broiled. I suggest erring on the side of 48h -- it'll result in a lovely, crispy texture.
> Don't hold back when it comes to poking holes in the skin. The more the better -- it'll lead to a more crispy texture.
> The exact baking time may vary depending on your oven and the size / shape of your pork belly. Adjust accordingly.
> One of my friends likes to eat this with oyster sauce as a dipping sauce; I tried it for the first time and it goes pretty well -- would recommend giving it a try.