Chinese crispy pork belly

Patrick Tam

• Skin on pork belly (center cut preferably because even layers of fat and meat.

• vinegar

• salt

Seasoning mix

• 2 parts salt

• 1 part five spice

• 1 part sugar

• ½ part ginger powder

• ½ part white pepper powder

STEPS

Blanch pork belly for 10 min or so to tighten up skin and meat

poke holes in skin using fork or whatever. Do not poke deeper than the first fat layer.

Cut some slits into the meat and sprinkle with salt

Lay pork belly skin side down on a plate with a layer of vinegar (any type should be fine) so only the skin is submerged and leave in fridge uncovered or covered 3 to 4 hours.

After 3 to 4 hours dump out the vinegar and cut more slits about 2 to 3mm apart and rub the spice mix all over the meat but NOT the skin.

Put in fridge 12 to 24 hours uncovered skin side up

Heat oven to 250F or 105C, place pork on tray on top of wire rack, skin side up and bake for 2 to 3 hours. If using salt crust method, surround the pork belly with a sheet of foil and have the foil come up snug around the sides and coming up a little bit above the skin. Add a generous, even layer of salt to the skin.

subheading: After 2 to 3 hours of initial baking and then to crisp up the skin:

• broiling method: put back in oven and turn up temperature to 400F or 205C. When the skin starts to bubble turn on the broiler to crisp the skin.

• salt crust method: remove the layer of salt and remove much of the excess salt on skin, leave foil on, follow the steps for broiling method above

• pan fry method: put the rendered pork fat from the baking tray in a skillet just large enough for the pork belly piece. Starting cold, put the pork belly skin side down on the skillet and add more oil just so the skin layer is submerged. Then, turn heat on medium high heat until skin bubbles and crisps.

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