No one and I mean no one, can cook crispy belly pork like the Chinese. This dish takes a little forward thinking but the end result is well worth the effort. Served with a pot of sugar transforms this dish from “Mm, that’s nice” to “OMG, this is sublime” 

 

From my Chinese Takeaway Cookbook 

Using a sharp ice pick pierce the skin of the pork trying not to puncture the meat underneath. The more holes you can pierce into the skin the crisper the skin will be at the end. Lay the pork belly skin side down and massage in to the meat side only the rice wine, followed by the five spice, salt, and white pepper. Now place the pork belly into a dish skin side up, dry the skin with kitchen paper and place into the fridge uncovered over night. 

 

Preheat oven to 180c. Place pork onto a piece of kitchen foil, fold edges up to the pork belly covering the meat but not the skin on all sides. Dry skin again with kitchen paper and then brush with rice vinegar. Cover skin completely in rock salt and place in to the oven for 1 hour. 

 

Remove salt crust from pork belly and transfer to a clean baking tray. Place back into the oven uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes. Finally place pork under a hot grill for a further 8 to 10 minutes until super crispy but not burnt. 

 

Slice into bite size pieces and serve with a bowl of sugar to dip the pork in to.