Chinese Roast Pork Belly With Five-Spice Rub and Crackled Skin
By Lucas Morgan
Prep
15 min
Cook
75 min
Total
90 min
Servings
4
Level
Easy
Low cooking temperatures brown and dry the seasoned skin on a pork belly․ Higher cooking temperatures crisp the scored skin․ Aluminum foil on the sides helps prevent the seasoning from burning․ Siu yook‚ a popular Chinese dish‚ is made of pork belly that is topped with browned‚ crispy skin and contains some fat as well as lean meat․
The five-spice and garlic powder and salt rub is applied to the meat side to avoid getting the seasoning on the skin side‚ which must stay dry․ The skin side is brushed with vinegar and salt to dry the exposed skin surface during the first cooking period․ Oil is added to the skin surface during the final cooking period to promote browning and crisping of the skin․ The meat is packed in a foil container to redistribute juices after cooking and to keep the top surface of the meat exposed․
Small crosshatches should not cut deeply into the meat without cutting it․ Meat skin left to dry for 60 minutes at 225°F should be dry and slightly hard․ Broil at 500°F until brown and crispy․ Tips and warnings about this process include foil barriers‚ wet meat skin‚ and not covering meat during broiling‚ all of which can interfere with browning․ Foil barriers can help prevent overbrowning in some areas to promote browning and crisping in other areas․ Do not overbrown any areas to avoid losing flavorful juices when slicing the meat․
Slice the meat back and forth with a knife‚ then make a decisive cut through the skin to further separate the meat․ The hoisin and vinegar mixture can be eaten with rice‚ other vegetables‚ noodles‚ or buns․ Ways to use leftover pork include incorporating it into fried rice‚ soups‚ and other noodle dishes for additional flavor and fat․ Other ideas for leftover pork include making baos with hoisin sauce and pickled vegetables․
Why you'll love this recipe
- Low-temperature oven cooking dries the vinegar and salt-coated skin before grilling to achieve a crisp‚ browned skin on the finished dish․
- Shallow crosshatching allows the tough skin to break apart during cooking without completely penetrating the meat․
- Foil shields the sides of the meat but not the skin surface to keep the meat from steaming as it cooks and allows the skin to be cooked by oven heat․
- The 10- to 15-minute rest in foil-lined containers allows the juices from the meat to redistribute and results in well-sliced pieces of juicy pork․
- Moving the pork from the second-lowest rack to the lowest rack lets you cook the pork at a low temperature without constant attention while it browns quickly․
- A neutral-oil brush applied after light roasting coats only the dry skin‚ helping it brown in a short broiling time․
Ingredients
- •1 ½ lb skin-on boneless pork belly
- •¼ tsp white vinegar
- •½ tsp salt
- •½ tsp vegetable oil or neutral oil
- •½ tsp Chinese five spice (dry rub mixture)
- •½ tsp garlic powder (dry rub mixture)
- •½ tsp salt (dry rub mixture)
- •¼ cup hoisin sauce (optional serving sauce)
- •2 tsp white vinegar, rice vinegar, or apple cider vinegar (optional serving sauce)
Instructions
- 1
In a small bowl, combine the Chinese five spice, garlic powder, and salt for the dry rub, then set aside.
- 2
Preheat the oven to 225°F.
- 3
If needed, cut the boneless pork belly lengthwise into 2-inch-wide by 9-inch-long strips.
- 4
Trim uneven meat from the bottom to create level strips.
- 5
Pluck any hairs from the skin with clean tweezers.
- 6
Turn the pork belly meat-side up and evenly pat the dry rub into the meat.
- 7
Turn the pork skin-side up and wipe away dry rub and excess moisture with a clean paper towel.
- 8
Use the point of a sharp paring knife or clean scoring blade to lightly score many tiny crosshatches into the skin without piercing it.
- 9
Place the pork belly strips on a large rectangular sheet of aluminum foil.
- 10
Wrap the foil around each pork belly strip to form a rectangular box with low walls, leaving the skin fully exposed.
- 11
Transfer the foil-wrapped pork to a small baking sheet.
- 12
Lightly brush the skin with white vinegar without drenching it.
- 13
Generously sprinkle salt over the skin.
- 14
Bake on the second-lowest oven rack for 60 minutes, until the skin is dry and slightly hard to the touch.
- 15
Remove the pork belly from the oven and either leave the salt on for flavor or brush off the excess.
- 16
Lightly brush only the skin with vegetable oil or another neutral oil.
- 17
Preheat the oven to 500°F.
- 18
Return the pork belly to the oven on the lowest rack and broil for 12 to 15 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and crackled.
- 19
Monitor closely and cover areas that brown faster with small pieces of aluminum foil if needed.
- 20
Remove the pork from the oven and rest it inside the aluminum boxes, off the baking sheet, for 10 to 15 minutes.
- 21
Turn the pork belly skin-side down on a cutting board.
- 22
Slice through the meaty side with a sharp knife using a sawing motion.
- 23
When reaching the skin, slice down with one swift chop.
- 24
Combine the hoisin sauce and vinegar in a small bowl.
- 25
Serve the pork belly slices with the optional sauce.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
923
Protein
17g
Fat
91g
Carbs
8g
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