Crispy skin roast pork belly that just crackles in your mouth.
- Carbohydrate 0.13857 g
- Cholesterol 179.6256 mg
- Fat 132.249348 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 23.301432 g
- Saturated Fat 48.224484 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (326g)
- Sodium 663.7261 mg
- Sugar 0.13857 g
- Trans Fat 8.30768400000002 g
- Calories 1295 calories
Step-by-step
- Make diamond shaped slits on top of the skin only (be sure not to cut through to the meat). This is for the salt to penetrate through.
- Boil 2 cups of water and add 4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Shower this mix on top of the skin only until the skin is slightly cooked (turns pinkish colour).
- Rub 1/2 teaspoon of Five Spice powder all over the meat, except the skin.
- Sprinkle some salt over the skin.
- Wrap around the meat (4 sides except the skin) with aluminium foil and keep in a plate/container. WITH the skin exposed, put inside the fridge for about 2-3 days. Once the skin has dried it's ready to roast.
- Place into the oven at 180-deg Celsius for about an hour. Be sure to have place the pork on top of a rack so the oil can drip down.
- Let the pork cool slightly after roasting. Slice alongside the slits and chop into bite size pieces.
Refrigerating the scored and salted pork belly uncovered for two to three days is the single most critical window for determining the final texture. Moisture is the fundamental enemy of crackling because water molecules must first convert to steam before fat can properly render, which prevents the skin from blistering into a glass-like crunch. Without this mandatory dehydration period in the refrigerator, excess ambient humidity trapped within the dermal layers turns the exterior rubbery rather than crisp under high heat.
Scoring the epidermis in a diamond pattern creates necessary thermal expansion zones while allowing applied coarse salt to draw out remaining intracellular water via osmosis. Scalding the skin beforehand with boiling water and apple cider vinegar denatures the outer protein structure, instantly tightening the surface and giving it a pale pink hue that promotes more efficient blistering. Applying five-spice powder strictly to the flesh side prevents moisture-attracting aromatics from interfering with the dry-heat frying action occurring directly on the top rack at 180 degrees Celsius.
Properly stored leftover roast pork will maintain structural integrity for up to three days inside an airtight container in the refrigerator, though the skin naturally softens as starches and gelatin cool. Revive that lost exterior crunch by placing the chilled slices skin-side up in a toaster oven at high heat for five minutes before serving.
