This post Chinese Crispy Pork Belly was last updated on 2022.
This recipe is Crispy Pork Belly. Similar to what you would get at a Chinese BBQ meat shop The Best crackling in the entire worldWith Juicy, well-seasoned fleshThe Chinese are the masters of crispy pork belly.
This is how they do it. (It’s easy!)
Chinese Crispy Pork Belly recipe
According to my humble opinion, The undisputed king in two things is the ChineseCrispy duck and crispy pork belly.
It’s unlikely that I will ever share a proper Peking Duck recipe because it’s too hard to make properly in an ordinary home kitchen.
Pork belly, however, is completely doable. It’s tender, juicy, and seasoned. But mostly, it’s all about…..
The best crackling around the globe
Chinese pork belly crackling is, according to my humble opinion, the best. Best crackling in the entire world. With the signature puffy bubbles all over,This Pork Belly Crackling can be found here Crunchy and crispy in a way that you will never achieve on a pork roast, even pulling out all the secret crackling tips.
That’s what makes Chinese Crispy Pork Belly so sought after. This is why you will find the best Chinese BBQ meat shops with long queues on weekends.
And today, my friends, you’re going to see how It’s easy to make your own Chinese pork belly. ↓↓↓.
The secret to the best pork belly around the globe
Here are the highlights two secrets to perfect crispy pork belly that the Chinese discovered*:
1. You can puffy crackle your skin by piercing many holes. This is what makes all the difference, yielding that beautiful bubbly crackling that is so unique to Chinese pork belly.
Chinese use a special tool to puncture the skin. Me, my Basic Instinct moment. Use an ice pick. It works astonishingly well. But anything that is pointy and sharp will work just fine – for example, metal skewers.
Yes, it is possible to do it if you find the task too difficult. You can skip the pricking step.Continue reading for more information. Simple, non-pricking method. 🙂
* I credit them for this genius discovery, but I’m not actually sure if they discovered it!
2. Rock salt makes crispy crackling when it is roasted. Salt draws moisture to the surface, helping to guarantee you’ll get crispy crackling every single time. It works regardless of whether you do the pricking. More on this below.
Why use rock salt?
It is very easy to remove rock salt and it will not penetrate the holes during roasting. This makes the pork too salty.
The pork belly is First, roast the salt crustThe salt crust must be removed. This stage is when the skin becomes rubbery and appears unappetizing (step 7).
To transform an ugly duckling into a crispy golden Swan, all you have to do is stick it Unter dem Grill/BoilerFor 25 minutes. It will puff up and crackle, and then it will become so crispy!!
Pork Belly Marinade
The pork flesh is infused with subtle flavour by marinating it in classic Chinese flavours – Chinese cooking wine (or dry sherry or even Mirin), five spice powder, salt and white pepper.
There are some Chinese pork belly recipes “out there” that don’t marinate, but I really think it’s worth the time to do this otherwise The Chinese flavour is a little lacking in the flesh.In my humble opinion
ALTERNATIVE:
EASY NON-PRICKING METHOD
If you don’t have something suitable for or are having troubles pricking the skin, don’t be sad, there is another way to Chinese Crispy Pork Belly heaven!
This alternative method is Almost foolproofIt is possible to skip the need for pricking, and the crackling won’t be too severe. it will not have the signature puffy bubblesThe Chinese Pork Belly is a well-known dish.
Breaking the crackling will cause it to snap straightaway, and not partially crumble like the puffy crackling. (As you can see in this video).
This is why this method works. You can be sure is because with the traditional Chinese method, if you are too enthusiastic with the pricking and pierce too far into the fat (or even worse, into the flesh), the juices will bubble up onto the skin, and the wetness as the skin is being grilled/broiled will cause little splotches where the skin is not super crispy.
Doesn’t the crackling using this simple Alternative Method look almost impossibly perfect?? Look at that color!
How to prepare crispy pork belly
This is the traditional way to serve it: Slice into thin slices, then slice each slice into smaller pieces. You should cut it into small pieces. pork belly is rich!
Sauces made from Chinese pork belly are Usually, served with mustard. Or your daily yellow mustard OderMy favourite is hot English mustard. The pork belly’s richness and heat pair so well together!
I’ve also had it served with white sugar. A small amount of regular white sugar to dip the pork in. It’s really good.
As for sides,Because pork belly is so rich, I simply serve it with fresh vegetables. My favourite is Cucumber and radish because they’re so fresh and radish also has a kick of spiciness.
Plus, they add great colour to the plate, don’t you think?
Chinese Crispy Pork Belly – SUMMARY
I realise there’s a lot of information in the above, so I though it would be useful to finish with a summary. ❤️
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Traditional Chinese Crispy Pork BellyHas a Golden puffy crispy crackling that almost crumbles when you bite into it. It’s complete and utter bliss to experience!
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To make puffy cracklingYou need to Make sure to poke lots and lots of tiny holesYou should not touch the skin. If you accidentally prick too far into the fat under the skin, or even worse, the flesh, this may cause juices to bubble to the surface which may result in some splotches that are not 100% crisp. This is how the Chinese do it. My Basic Instinct moment is an icepick.).
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It may seem like pricking the holes. Too hard work, skip it and opt for the Alternative Easy Non Pricking Method for Crispy Pork Belly
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The Another alternative is to not pokeIt produces a crackling that is a gorgeous golden brown. Extremely crispy But Without bubbly crackling. The crackling SnapsIt is not like crispy Chinese pork belly. This is still the amazing crackling many people long for. ☺️ This method is very easy with guaranteed crispy crackling, every single time.
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Do not skip the video!!You will be amazed at how crispy the crackling tastes!!
All crackling lovers, this one’s for you! – Nagi x
PS Oh wait, it’s also for Chinese New Year which is tomorrow! ❤️
More food for Chinese New Year
Celebrate Chinese New Years with the BestChinese food
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Potstickers – Dumplings steamed with crispy, golden undersides
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Spring Rolls – Better than Egg Rolls
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Fried Rice – Chinese takeout standards (no falsified promises)
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Chinese BBQ Pork (Char Siu) – Similar to what you’d find in Chinese BBQ meat shops
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Chinese Steamed Pork Buns – Large fluffy white buns with BBQ pork
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Check out these Chinese Recipes and Asian Takeout Copycat Recipes
Crispy Chinese Pork Belly
You can see how it is done.
Don’t watch this on Mute…. You want to HearIt’s amazing how crisp that crackling is!!
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Chinese Crispy Pork Belly
Ingredients
- 1 Pork belly with skin (800 – 12.5kg / 1.6-1.24 lb) (Note 1)
- 1 1/2 tbsp Chinese cuisine wine (Shaoxing wine) (Note 2)
- 1 tsp Chinese five spice powder (Note 3)
- 1 tsp white pepper (sub black pepper)
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp white vinegar (Helps to conduct heat evenly
- 200 g / 7 oz rock salt (Note 4)
Instructions
Make Pork Belly
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You can puncture tons of skin using an ice pick or a sharp metal knife. You should avoid piercing into the fat.
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Turn the pork belly upside down. Use the Chinese cooking wine to rub the flesh, but not skin, on the pork belly. Continue to drizzle it in slowly. Sprinkle with five spice powders, salt and pepper. Massage flesh from sides to skin.
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Place skin on the right side and in a container. Pat the skin dry using paper towels. Cover with paper towels and refrigerate for 12 hours (maximum 24-hours, min 3 hours).
Cook:
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Preheat oven to 180C/350F (all ovens).
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Take pork out of the fridge. Place the pork on a large piece of foil. Place the foil on top of the pork and fold up the sides.
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Transfer pork to a baking tray. Apply oil to the skin using paper towels.
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Use vinegar to scrub your skin.
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Spread rock salt on your skin (the foil edges will prevent it from falling to the sides).
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Roast for 60 minutes.
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Transfer the pork from the oven to a work surface.
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Move to the medium heat setting of the grill/broiler. Place shelf so that it is within 25 cm (10″) of the heat source.
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Take the foil off and remove all salt from the sides and top. Only return pork (i.e. Place pork on a baking tray.
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Put under the grill/broiler for 20-25 minutes, rotating the tray once. Continue until skin is crispy and golden. (Note 6)
To Serve
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Remove pork onto cutting board. Cut into 1-1.5cm slices or 2/5-3/5″ thick slices. Then, cut into smaller slices as shown in the post.
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Use ordinary yellow mustard or hot English mustard, if you prefer spicy! It’s not Dijon mustard, but just regular American mustard or another yellow mustard (yes!). Sometimes, it’s served with white Sugar on the Side. You can also add fresh raw vegetables, such as cucumber or radish.
Recipe Notes
2. Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine) – sub for dry sherry (near perfect) or Mirin (very good sub). Skip alcohol if you are unable to consume it. Add 1/4 tsp salt. More information is available here.
3. Chinese Five Spice Powder – a spice mix used in Chinese cooking with 5 spices that’s widely available at everyday supermarkets.
4. Rock SaltBecause it is easy to take off and doesn’t get stuck in the holes, which could cause pork to become too salty,
5. Skin piercing – If you pierce the fat too much (a bit is ok) or flesh, then after you remove the salt crust and place it under the grill/broiler, juices will bubble up onto the skin and prevent the skin from getting crispy. It doesn’t matter if your pricks aren’t too deep. You’ll just end up with tiny splotches and crackling that isn’t 100% crispy.
6. Broiling –Make sure the pork is not too close to the heat source. That is how you get a crispy, golden crackling instead of splotches all over the place. The farther it is away, the better!
7. Foolproof, Easy Method If pricking seems too difficult, you can use this. This makes crispy crackling, and has the same juicy flesh without the bubbly crackling. It’s super simple and delicious. For more information, please see the post.
- Follow this recipe except for brushing with vinegar.
- Rock salt can be used to cover skin. You may also use 1 cup of kosher/cooking/table Salt (enough to cover skin approximately 3 – 5mm/ 1/8-1/5″ thick). Fine grain salt should be used. If the foil is too tight around the edges, the salt will fall down and make the flesh salty.
- Roast according to the recipe, and then remove salt.
- Instead of using the broiler/grill, increase the temperature in your oven to 240C/465F. To make your skin crispy, you can use the oven.
- Place pork on a rack and return to baking tray, roast for a further 30 minutes or until crackling is golden and crispy.
7. Servings Pork belly is very rich so a 1 kg / 2 lb raw piece (shrinks to about 700g/1.4lb) serves 6 – 8 people as part of a multi course meal or as a starter. Pork belly is too rich for me so I don’t recommend it as a main course. This is the kind of starter that I would make. It’s plenty!
8. STORING/MAKE AHEAD Cook per recipe, including crispy skin. When the meat is cool enough for handling, remove crispy skin. Cool the meat, and then wrap it in plastic. The crispy skin will stay crisp! Microwave the meat and then heat the crispy skin in an oven at 180C/350F for 5 minutes. The skin should be reheated only to crispen, and not to crackle, since crackling can remain crispy even after refrigeration. It is important not to heat the skin too much in the oven. This can cause it to lose its crispiness.
9. Recipe created/adapted using multiple sourcesOver the years, there have been many, including: Woks Of Life, Chinese Crispy-Raised Pork by Garden Time (this my main reference point) and a Gordon Ramsay cooking program (can’t remember which one).).
8. NutritionEstimate, taking into consideration 1/3 cup fat that has been thrown out of foil.
Nutrition Information:
Original publication January 2017. Original publication January 2017. video. The recipe was unchanged, but the writing style was updated.
‘Life of Dozer
I had many, many chances to catch this shot…. He was doing this all the time I was photographing the pork belly!!
