Roasted Pork Belly 101

Five-spice-cured pork belly roasted under a salt crust until the meat is silky and the skin shatters into crispy crackling.

Ingredients

• 3 lb slab pork belly
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tsp ground Sichuan peppercorn
• 1 tsp five-spice powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup coarse sea salt
• Steamed bao buns, hoisin, ginger scallion oil and dipping sauces, for serving (optional)

Directions

1. Rinse and dry the pork belly. Set it skin-side down and rub the Shaoxing wine into the meat side.
2. Combine the white pepper, Sichuan peppercorn, five-spice, salt and sugar and rub it onto the meat. Flip skin-side up and refrigerate uncovered for 24 hours.
3. Heat the oven to 375F. Using a sharp skewer, prick the skin all over with many small holes.
4. Set the belly skin-side up in a roasting pan. Brush the skin with the vinegar and pack it evenly with the coarse sea salt.
5. Roast for 90 minutes. Switch to a medium broiler, brush off the salt crust, and slowly broil until the skin is puffed, browned and very crispy.
6. Let rest 10 minutes, then slice and serve with bao, hoisin and dipping sauces.

Notes

Andrew Zimmern’s foundational roasted pork belly with crackling skin - a multi-day project worth the wait.