Crispy Roast Pork Belly (脆皮燒肉)

Crispy Roast Pork Belly (脆皮燒肉)

Ingredients:

• 1.2 kg pork belly
• 1/2 Tbsp Shaoxing wine, optional
• to taste, rock salt

Seasonings:

• 3½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp five-spice powder

Method:

• To prepare the seasonings: Combine salt with sugar and five-spice powder well. Set aside.
• Use a knife to scrape away any impurities and hair. Rinse thoroughly. Blanch in boiling water for about 15 minutes, until 60 to 70% done, and the skin is softened. Drain well and wipe dry with paper towels.. Use needles to poke the rind as many holes as possible. Turn over to other side, cut a few slits on the meat to help absorb seasonings better.
• Rub wine evenly on pork. Let rest for a while. Coat the meat with seasonings evenly. Make sure there‘s no seasonings on the rind, otherwise the five-spice powder will darken it.
• Wrap the pork meat with foil and leave the rind unwrapped. Place in fridge, let air dry overnight in fridge.
• Preheat oven to 200C/395F.
• Remove pork from fridge and remove foil. Let rest at room temperature for a while. Poke the rind with needles evenly once again. Wipe dry. Season the rind with rock salt. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes (Remark: I used convection oven. If ordinary oven used, bake for 45 minutes.) Increase temperature to 220C/430F, bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until you get enough cracklings. (If ordinary oven used, move the pork from middle rack to upper. Grill the rind until evenly blistered and browned.)

The cooking time depends on how thick and how big the pork belly is. Please adjust accordingly.