Clare’s Chinese Crispy Bubbled Belly Pork

Now here’s one of my wife Clare’s favourites. This is an easy way to make lovely, crispy Chinese-style pork, which looks dramatic and exciting on the barbecue. Go on, burst some bubbles. You won’t be disappointed.

Serves 6

1.5 kg (3 lb) sheet belly pork

approximately 1.5 litres (2½ pints) boiling water

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder

For the sauce

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons dry sherry

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

pinch of dried chilli flakes

2 cm (¾ in) piece root ginger, finely chopped

white rice or noodles to serve

Pour a kettleful of boiling water over the skin of the pork and pat dry with kitchen paper. Rub the salt into the pork fat and leave to dry for 45 minutes.

Wipe the excess salt off the pork with kitchen paper, then, using a small, sharp knife, deeply score the pork skin in a criss-cross lattice. Turn the meat over and pierce the flesh in several places with a skewer. Rub the soy sauce and five-spice powder into the pork and set aside to marinate for an hour or so.

Cook over medium-hot coals, skin-side down first, for 30 minutes on each side until cooked through with a very crunchy crackling.

Meanwhile, make the sauce: heat the soy, sherry, sugar, chilli and ginger together in a small pan, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Slap the crispy bubbled pork on to a chopping board and cut the pork into 2 cm (¾ in) wide slices. Transfer to a platter, and serve with rice or noodles and the dipping sauce.