Roast Pork Belly with Crackling
In the past when I tried to roast a pork belly, I could never get the crackling nice and crunchy! Fast forward to 2019 with Covid, my hubby and brother both found separate recipes that guaranteed crunchy crackling every time. I liked part of both recipes so have combined them here. Ingredients: 1kg pork belly white vinegar 1 tsp raw sugar 2 tsp salt Spice Mix: 1/4 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder 1/4 tsp sea salt Method – Part 1: With skin side down, cut into pork meat 1/2 – 3/4 of the way down but not through the fat and skin! In a frying pan, add enough water to half fill the frying pan, 1 tsp salt and sugar and heat on medium to high heat. Once boiling, add the pork belly skin side down and cook for 8 minutes. Repeat on other side. Once done, remove the pork belly and let it cool on a wire rack with skin side up. Pat skin dry with some paper towel when it is cool enough to do so. Using a metal meat skewer, punch holes into the skin of the pork belly. DO NOT PUNCH TOO DEEP THAT IT REACHES THE MEAT. This usually takes 5 – 10 minutes. Brush the pork skin with vinegar and then sprinkle 1/4-1/2 tsp of salt. Let it rest for 10 minutes and repeat the process. My pork belly came with pre-scored lines in the skin. Put the pork belly into the fridge uncovered and allow the skin to dry for a minimum of 12 hours. If you can, check on it every now and then to wipe off any moisture that comes to the surface. Method – Part 2: Take your pork belly out of the fridge and apply the spice mix on the sides and meat of the pork belly. Place the pork belly on a flat piece of foil and wrap sides up to make a foil boat around the meat part of the pork belly. Hope that makes sense! This is...
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