Super Crispy Pork Belly
Pork belly is a dream— I mean what bacon is made of! This recipe is a traditional Cantonese called ‘siu yuk’— and it’s one that renders the meat incredibly juicy and tender— and best of all— the skin becomes deeply and beautifully golden brown and crispy. It’s also so easy— the only part that takes some time is resting the pork in the fridge overnight. A few things to remember— when piercing the pork skin before roasting make sure you make as many holes as possible across the entire surface— I’m talking about like 50 or more holes. Secondly, when roasting, it’s important to use coarse salt (the kind that would normally go in a grinder) to coat the skin as it won’t absorb and make things too salty. It’ll actually form a crust that’ll protect the skin from burning. As with all things pork belly, the dish is incredibly fatty and rich, so a little goes a long way. I like to serve mine with plain steamed jasmine rice and a bit of sriracha or hot mustard on the side.
Serves 6-8
INGREDIENTS
1-1½ lbs. skin-on boneless pork belly
2 tsp Shaoxing wine
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp five spice
½ tsp white pepper
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
¼ to ⅓ cup coarse rock salt
METHOD
Pat pork belly dry with paper towels. Place skin-side down on a plate and rub with Shaoxing wine. Sprinkle with kosher salt, sugar, five spice and white pepper and rub into meat side.
Turn pork over to skin side and poke holes all over, using a sharp skewer, ice pick or the tip of a very sharp pointed knife. Ensure that you do not pierce the flesh or the fat— only pierce the top skin layer. Place in a container skin side up— dab skin with paper towels and leave uncovered in fridge for 12 hours (or up to 24 hours).
Preheat oven to 375F. Place pork skin-side up in a foil lined baking dish. Try and use a dish that the pork fits in snugly with sides that are at least as tall as the pork belly. If you don’t have a small baking dish use double-layered tin foil to create a snug vessel with high sides and place on a sheet pan. Brush rice wine vinegar on skin, then pack coarse rock salt on skin in an even layer. Roast for 1 hour.
After an hour, carefully remove salt layer and broil on the lowest rack for 10-15 minutes. Watch very carefully after 10 minutes— every oven is different and skin can start to burn very quickly. Skin will puff up and get crispy and golden brown. Remove from oven and Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing into squares and serving.