Crispy Roast Pork Belly (烧肉)

It's never easy to replicate the crispy roast pork prepared by Hong Kong Chefs at the Chinese Restaurant.  But this recipe produces the most succulent and crispy roast pork that is comparable to those serve at the coffee shop 烧腊店 .  The secret to the perfect crackling is the use of Rice Wine Vinegar.  Brush a little on the skin at the end of cooking and grill the pork belly under high heat, you will see the skin 'popping' and cracking away almost immediately.

Crispy Roast Pork Belly (serve 5)

 

Ingredients:

Red Fermented Bean Curd

800g               Pork Belly

2 tbsp             Rice Wine Vinegar

Marinate:

1 cube            Red Fermented Bean curd

1/2 tsp            Rose Wine 

1 tbsp             Salt

1 tbsp             Garlic Salt

1 tsp               Black Pepper

1 tbsp             Five-Spice Powder

1 tbsp             Sugar

Directions:

1. Wash pork belly.  Pat it dry with a kitchen towel.
2. Use a sharp knife, score the skin in criss-cross manner. The more cuts you make, the crispier the skin will be.
3. Fill a shallow pan with some water, just enough to scald the rind of the belly.  When the water starts boiling, add 2 tbsp of rice wine vinegar in the water. Put the belly, skin face downward, into the boiling water.  Scald it for about 3 minutes. 
4. Pat dry the pork belly and leave it in the fridge, uncovered, to dry out further.
5. Mash red fermented bean curd and mix it with 1/2 teaspoon of rose wine.  Rub the mixture on the bottom and all sides of the pork belly, except the rind.  It is important to keep the rind as dry as possible to ensure the skin is crispy during roasting.
6. Then rub the dry marinate on the pork belly.
7. Refrigerate, skin side up and uncovered, for at least 2 hours or overnight.
8. Preheat oven 220ºC.  Fill roasting pan with some water.  Place the pork belly on a rack over the roasting pan and bake for 20 minutes.
9. Lower temperature to 180ºC and continue to bake for 25 minutes.
    hour
10. Remove pork belly from oven, switch oven to grill function at maximum temperature.  Brush some rice wine vinegar on the rind. 
11. When the heating rods turn red, grill pork belly for about 5 - 8 minutes, keeping a constant watch over it.  Once the rind has cracked completely, remove from the oven. 

   

Tips:

• Rest the meat for 1 hour before cutting to allow the meat to retain its juice.  Inadequate resting will cause juice from the meat to rush out when cutting.  Not only will the meat taste drier, the crackling may also loose it's crispiness.