Crispy Salt Crusted Pork Belly
Cook: Sharon Yam (@yamsandchips)
Prep time: 3 hours
Cook time: 1.5 hour
Servings: 8
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #hkersfood - we’d LOVE to see how yours turn out on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! You might even be featured by us ;)
One of my favorite dishes during a Chinese feast is the suckling pig--I particularly enjoy the saltiness and texture of the crispy skin. Since it will be near impossible to roast a suckling pig at home, I turned to skin-on pork belly to recreate some of that flavor.
In Chinese culinary culture, pork belly is often braised. This version uses the oven instead to create the crunchy, crispy texture.
While you will need to plan ahead for the marinade, this recipe (adapted from Kirbie Cravings) is easy to execute, and it yields the crispiest scrumptious pork belly. The marinade, then, can be reduced into a thick sweet and savory dipping sauce--perfect with some steamed buns (mantou)!
Main Ingredients
2lb pork belly
1 cup Kosher salt
Marinade
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1/3 cup shaoxing rice wine
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 cloves minced garlic
Sauce
½ tbsp honey
1 tsp chili oil
Method
Pat the pork belly dry with a piece of paper towel. Pour the marinade into a pan that is deep enough to hold the pork belly flat, skin side up. You want the skin to stay dry so it can crisp up later in the oven. Marinade it in the fridge overnight, or for at least 3 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.
While the oven is preheating, spread the cup of salt evenly across the skin.
Line a roasting pan with tin foil, and pour 1 inch of water into the pan.
Put a wire rack on top of the pan, and place the salt crusted pork belly on the rack.
Bake for 40 minutes or so, until the meat looks cooked.
Take the pork belly out, and set the oven to 465F/240C.
Scrape off the salt crust on the pork belly, and put it back into the oven once it reaches temperature.
Bake for another 35 minutes until the skin has bubbled up all over.
While you wait for the pork to bake, pour the marinade into a sauce pan, together with the honey and chili oil. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until it thickens.
Let the pork belly cool for a few minutes before you start cutting it into smaller pieces.
Tip: To test whether your sauce has achieved the right consistency, put the back of a spoon in it and run your finger straight down the spoon. The consistency is right if the rest of the sauce remains on the spoon after your finger grazes it.
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