Classic Roast Pork Belly
ACROSS SOUTHEAST ASIA
Roast pork belly is a classic that goes down well with everybody, as it’s difficult to fault the combination of juicy pork with luscious fat and salty, crunchy crackling. The classic Chinese recipe uses nothing more than salt; I like adding a touch of fragrant five-spice and garlic. Everyone has his or her own ‘best’ roast pork technique and this is my tried-and-tested method: I always get crispy crackling with this recipe, and the 3-hour slow-roast ensures tender flesh that holds its shape but falls apart in your mouth. This recipe is versatile enough for you to play around with, and indeed you can easily adapt this recipe for a British roast dinner with apple sauce and the works.
- a 1.5kg piece of boneless pork belly, skin on
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 teaspoons sea salt, plus a pinch more
- 2 tablespoons groundnut oil
- 2 teaspoons five-spice powder (optional)
- Score the skin of the pork belly, or get your friendly butcher to do it for you. Pat it dry.
- Peel the garlic, sprinkle the sea salt over, then crush the garlic with the flat end of your knife until you get a chunky paste. Combine the garlic paste with the oil and five-spice powder, if using, and rub this mixture all over the pork belly – the flesh, skin, and inside the scores on the skin. Leave, uncovered, in the fridge overnight, or for at least 2 hours.
- When ready to cook, remove the pork belly from the fridge and lay it on a rack set over a roasting tray. Sprinkle a pinch more sea salt over the skin, and leave aside until the meat comes to room temperature. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6.
- Roast for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 160°C/gas 3 and roast for a further 2½ hours. Finally, whack the heat back up to 220°C/gas 7 on the ‘grill’ setting, and grill for 5–10 minutes, just to finish the crackling. It should be golden brown and very crisp.
- Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 20 minutes before cutting into pieces. This is great as is, or with any of the sweeter dips (see here and here). I also like to top dry-tossed egg noodles (see here), noodle salads (see here), or noodle/rice soups (see khao tom, here) with leftover roast pork.