Fool-Proof Pork Belly
Fool-Proof Pork Belly
Ingredients
- 1 kg pork belly, ideally a center cut
- 12 g salt, (1.2% of pork's weight)
- as needed neutral oil, enough to come about 1/2 cm up the sides of a frying pan
Optional Accompaniments
- as needed jasmine rice
- as needed mustard, sweetened with a bit of sugar
- as needed soy sauce, mixed with black vinegar and sugar, boiled down
- as needed spring onions, for garnish, chopped
Instructions
- 1
Score the skin of the pork belly at half-centimetre intervals. Cut through the skin but not into the fat beneath. A clean box cutter works well for precise work. This step allows fat to render out, heat to penetrate evenly, and helps the skin dry and puff into crisp crackling later.
⏱️ 10 min
- 2
Cut the pork into 4–5 cm thick strips. This helps the skin fry evenly in the final stage.
⏱️ 5 min - 3
Measure out 1.2% of the pork’s weight in salt and coat the pork thoroughly.
⏱️ 5 min
- 4
Leave the salted pork on a tray, uncovered, in the fridge overnight. The salt seasons the meat throughout, while the exposed skin dries, which helps it blister and crisp later. Some proteins can also be denatured during this process, making the meat more tender.
⏱️ 720 min
- 5
The next day, pat the pork dry with kitchen towel.
⏱️ 5 min
- 6
Set the pork strips on a cooling rack over a tray.
⏱️ 2 min
- 7
Roast the pork in the oven at 130°C for 2–3 hours. The aim is to reach an internal temperature of around 88°C. This is the point where collagen has largely converted to gelatin, leaving the meat tender but still structured. Going much further than this temperature will cause the fibers to begin to lose their shape. This roasting also helps render more fat from the meat.
⏱️ 180 min•🌡️ 130
- 8
Add plenty of neutral oil to a cold frying pan so it comes about 1/2 cm up the sides.
⏱️ 2 min
- 9
Lay the cooked pork skin-side down into the cold oil in the frying pan. Place the pan over a medium heat.
⏱️ 1 min
- 10
Fry for 6–8 minutes, moving the pork occasionally, until the skin is puffed and golden. This process rapidly vaporizes the last moisture under the skin, allowing it to blister into crisp crackling.
⏱️ 8 min
- 11
Rest the pork for 10 minutes before turning, slicing, and eating. The brief rest allows the hot fat beneath the crackling to settle so the crust stays crisp rather than shattering when cut.
⏱️ 10 min
- 12
Slice the rested pork belly into desired portions.
⏱️ 2 min
- 13
Serve the sliced pork belly over sticky, gorgeously cooked jasmine rice.
⏱️ 1 min
- 14
Garnish with chopped spring onions.
⏱️ 1 min
- 15
Serve with accompaniments like homemade mustard (sweetened with sugar) and a mixture of soy sauce, black vinegar, and sugar that has been boiled down.
⏱️ 1 min
Kitchen Tools
Fool-Proof Pork Belly
- 1 kg pork belly, ideally a center cut
- 12 g salt, (1.2% of pork's weight)
- as needed neutral oil, enough to come about 1/2 cm up the sides of a frying pan
Optional Accompaniments
- as needed jasmine rice
- as needed mustard, sweetened with a bit of sugar
- as needed soy sauce, mixed with black vinegar and sugar, boiled down
- as needed spring onions, for garnish, chopped
Instructions
- 1
Score the skin of the pork belly at half-centimetre intervals. Cut through the skin but not into the fat beneath. A clean box cutter works well for precise work. This step allows fat to render out, heat to penetrate evenly, and helps the skin dry and puff into crisp crackling later.
⏱️ 10 min - 2
Cut the pork into 4–5 cm thick strips. This helps the skin fry evenly in the final stage.
⏱️ 5 min - 3
Measure out 1.2% of the pork’s weight in salt and coat the pork thoroughly.
⏱️ 5 min - 4
Leave the salted pork on a tray, uncovered, in the fridge overnight. The salt seasons the meat throughout, while the exposed skin dries, which helps it blister and crisp later. Some proteins can also be denatured during this process, making the meat more tender.
⏱️ 720 min - 5
The next day, pat the pork dry with kitchen towel.
⏱️ 5 min - 6
Set the pork strips on a cooling rack over a tray.
⏱️ 2 min - 7
Roast the pork in the oven at 130°C for 2–3 hours. The aim is to reach an internal temperature of around 88°C. This is the point where collagen has largely converted to gelatin, leaving the meat tender but still structured. Going much further than this temperature will cause the fibers to begin to lose their shape. This roasting also helps render more fat from the meat.
⏱️ 180 min•🌡️ 130 - 8
Add plenty of neutral oil to a cold frying pan so it comes about 1/2 cm up the sides.
⏱️ 2 min - 9
Lay the cooked pork skin-side down into the cold oil in the frying pan. Place the pan over a medium heat.
⏱️ 1 min - 10
Fry for 6–8 minutes, moving the pork occasionally, until the skin is puffed and golden. This process rapidly vaporizes the last moisture under the skin, allowing it to blister into crisp crackling.
⏱️ 8 min - 11
Rest the pork for 10 minutes before turning, slicing, and eating. The brief rest allows the hot fat beneath the crackling to settle so the crust stays crisp rather than shattering when cut.
⏱️ 10 min - 12
Slice the rested pork belly into desired portions.
⏱️ 2 min - 13
Serve the sliced pork belly over sticky, gorgeously cooked jasmine rice.
⏱️ 1 min - 14
Garnish with chopped spring onions.
⏱️ 1 min - 15
Serve with accompaniments like homemade mustard (sweetened with sugar) and a mixture of soy sauce, black vinegar, and sugar that has been boiled down.
⏱️ 1 min