There's nothing quite like Crispy Chinese Pork Belly and with Lunar New Year around the corner, there's no better time to give it a go. This recipe requires very few ingredients and in a couple of simple steps, you're rewarded with the most crispy, puffy skin and tender and flavoursome pork. Serve it alongside rice and some stir fried greens and you're set!
If you have time, take your pork belly out and pat down with some paper towel and refrigerate uncovered over night to dry out the skin.
Preheat oven to 150 degrees celsius.
Take the pork belly out of the fridge and using a metal skewer or toothpick, prick the skin all over. You don't want to pierce the flesh, just the top layer of the skin. This will assist with getting nice and crispy crackling.
Turn the pork belly over and on the flesh side, rub in the five spice, white pepper and salt and massage up the sides of the pork too. Do not rub the spice mix over the skin.
Fold a long piece of foil in half lengthways then fold it in half again. Wrap this ribbon of foil around the pork belly to create a barrier from the salt from escaping and slipping out the sides
Sprinkle salt all over the top of the skin, creating a thick, even layer.
Place the pork belly into the oven and cook for 2 hours.
Remove the pork from the oven and turn the oven up to 250 degrees.
Carefully remove the layer of salt. Remove the foil and brush off any last bits of salt.
Place the pork back in the oven to blast the skin to get it nice and crispy. Cook for 15-20 mins watching carefully to ensure you don't burn the skin.
Remove the pork from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes, before cutting into pieces.
Notes - I find that removing the ribs first is easier, then cut it into pieces. You can slice the ribs into pieces so people can eat the meat off the bone. If there's any juices, drizzle them over the meat, avoiding the crispy skin.
