Over the years this has definitely become one of my favourite dishes to make. It's my go-to, company's coming, special occasion or just-because centrepiece and it's become something of a specialty! I've refined my technique over many, many attempts and I've got one now that is basically foolproof and turns out a beautiful golden crackling with an epic *cronch* factor, while keeping the actual meat tender and juicy (not the 'm' word. I can't with that word!
Once you've mastered my crispy crackling, you can experiment with different flavours and marinades - like trying crushed fennel seeds or Chinese 5-spice on the skin, or letting the pork rest in a soy and ginger marinade overnight (not the skin though! Keep that bad boy dry as a bone!)
Well, with no further ado, I give you my crunchy crispy crackling pork belly!
Note: You need to prepare this the night before. I'm warning you now as there's nothing worse than craving pork belly *tonight* and it just not being possible!
Serves: 4 (in theory - or 2 if you just can't help yourself!)
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 2 hours
Ingredients
1 1/2 kilogram piece of pork belly (I get mine from the Asian butcher as I find the meat to fat ratio a bit more generous than the ones at the supermarket. Careful though as some Asian butchers do leave soft rib bones in - they become very pliable during cooking so they're not overly noticeable but just be aware they might be there.)
2 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp oil
That's all you need for a basic pork belly - but stay tuned for my recipe for Vietnamese pork belly and fennel pork belly too!
Method:
The day before, take the pork belly out of the fridge. Use a very sharp knife to score the skin and fat (but try not to cut through to the meat). You can score horizontally or diagonally, or even in a cross cross pattern if you're feeling fancy! Just remember that these score lines will end up being where you slice your pork to serve. To get the effect from the picture above I scored horizontally and vertically so I have slices with bite-size crackling on top.
Place a rack over the sink and boil the kettle. Pour the boiling water all over the skin of the pork. You should see the skin 'tighten up' a little and more clearly form the little shapes you have made. The boiling water also removes impurities from the skin of the pork.
Once it's cooled a little, remove the pork to a plate. This is when you would rest it in a marinade if you were choosing to do so. Use a paper towel to fully dry the skin of the pork. Put it in the fridge, uncovered, and leave it to dry out overnight.
The next day, preheat your oven to 160C. Take out the pork and slather the skin with the oil. Generously season with the sea salt. Try to keep the oil and salt away from the meat, just use it on the skin.
Move the pork to a roasting dish with a rack. You want to make sure the surface of the pork is as level as possible. If there are any parts where the meat is a bit thin and causes the pork to sag, I prop it up with a wedge of onion or garlic. It won't have much impact on the flavour but you really want an even surface for the crackling.
Cook for 1 1/2 hours.
Crank up the heat to 220C. Now, this part will sort of depend on your oven. I've done this countless times with my oven and it's worked perfectly, but the time I tried it at Mum's my timing was off. Once the oven has reached heat, I let it go for about 20 minutes. You'll start to hear the crackling go as the oven gets hotter!
Have a peek after 20 minutes. Looking good? Great! Take it out, rest for ten minutes and serve! Still looking a bit sad and flat? Back in for ten minutes, then try again.
If your oven isn't cooperating, switch it to grill mode. But don't wander off! Don't get sucked in to the Bachelor or an episode of Friends you've seen twelve times already. Stay by the oven, listen, and check. The grill can burn your crackling, which would be sad, but it will also give it that boost if the oven couldn't do it alone. So watch it like a hawk.
Once your crackling is at the desired level of crackle, remove, rest, and slice and serve. Different recipes with serving ideas will be coming soon!
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