pork belly crackling

Recipe video above. This is a pork belly that&#039;s slow-roasted so the fat renders and cooks the belly confit-style in its own fat. The result? Ridiculously juicy, impossibly tender yet still-sliceable meat, crowned with the most amazing crispy crackling of your life. It comes down to three simple, game-changing techniques: 1. Do NOT score the skin; 2. Low heat followed by high heat; 3. Keep the pork level using balls of foil.Perfect meat, perfect crackling ... Every. Single. Time! (Read the post for all the details on how to do it right!)

Slow-Roasted Crispy Pork Belly

pork

olive oil (, divided)

fennel powder

tsp black pepper

Apple Sauce ()

Vermouth Jus ()

Cauliflower Puree (, (Note 2))

See in post for more Sauce options

Dry skin overnight: Place pork belly on a plate. Pat skin dry with paper towels. Leave uncovered in fridge overnight to dry out the skin. (If you don&#039;t have time, pat the skin dry as best you can).

Preheat oven to 140°C/285°F (120°C fan).

Season flesh: Drizzle flesh (only) with 1 tsp oil. Sprinkle over 1/2 tsp salt, the pepper and fennel powder. Rub all over the flesh, including on the sides, being sure you get right into all the cracks and crevices.

Wrap in foil: Place 2 pieces of foil on a work surface. Put the belly in middle of foil, skin side up. Fold the sides in to enclose the belly, forming an open box, pinching corners to seal tightly and make it as snug as possible. Place meat on a tray.

Season skin: Pat skin dry with paper towels. Rub with 1/2 tsp oil then sprinkle remaining 1/2 tsp salt evenly all over the skin surface, from edge to edge.

Slow roast 2 1/2 hours: Place in the oven and roast for 2 1/2 hours. After 1 1/2 hours, remove and tighten the foil (pork will have shrunk), and continue cooking. This keeps the pork fat level up as high as possible, and the flesh protected so it stays moist.

Increase heat: Remove pork from oven, then increase heat to 240°C/465°F (all oven types).

Level pork: Remove pork from foil and place on a rack set over a tray (using rack is best, but optional). Use scrunched up balls of foil stuffed under pork to prop up so the skin surface is as level and horizontal as possible (see photos in post).

30 minutes on high heat! Place the pork back in the oven for 30 minutes, rotating after 15 minutes as needed, until the crackling is deep golden, puffy and crispy all over. If some patches are browning faster, protect with foil patches.

Rest 10 minutes: Remove pork from oven. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Serving: Slice into 2cm / ⅘&quot;-thick slices using a serrated knife. Pictured in post with Apple Sauce and Vermouth Jus, with a side of Cauliflower Puree (Note 2)!  See directions in post for how to plate it up as pictured (fine dining style!), as well as a list of more sauce options.

Recipe video above. The crispy pork belly version of the famous Vietnamese sandwich, inspired by Ca Com in Melbourne, a famous banh mi shop. Hands down one of the best sandwiches I have ever made in my life, and my favourite type of banh mi (all my recipes here). Excellent food for sharing with friends and Sunday lunches.The Special Sauce is a copycat of the Ca Com sauce and it&#39;s an excellent match for crispy pork - thicker so it clings and doesn&#39;t soak and soften the skin or bread.PS The recipe for the crispy skin pork belly is based on the much-loved Crispy Pork Belly recipe. So you can have confidence that your pork WILL have perfect crispy crackling!

Crispy Pork Belly Banh Mi

tsp canola or vegetable oil (, divided)

tsp Chinese Five Spice (, optional (you won't miss it))

tsp cooking/kosher salt (, divided)

tsp black pepper ((or white pepper))

tbsp Hoisin sauce

tbsp coconut milk (, full fat)

tsp dark soy sauce ((mainly

crusty white rolls ((lightly oven toast

120 grams/ 4 oz chicken pate ((Note 2))

tbsp whole-egg mayonnaise (or Kewpie)

Vietnamese pickled carrots and daikon ()

green onion stems (, cut to length of rolls (2 to 3 pieces per roll))

cucumbers (, finely sliced using vegetable peeled or knife)

coriander/cilantro leaves (and small sprigs)

Birds Eye or Thai chillis (, finely sliced)

tbsp crispy fried shallots (, store bought (Note 3))

Dry skin overnight: Place pork belly on a plate. Pat skin dry with paper towels. Leave uncovered in fridge overnight to dry out the skin. (If you don&#39;t have time, pat the skin dry as best you can).

Preheat oven to 140°C/285°F (both fan and standard ovens).

Season flesh: Drizzle flesh side with 1 tsp oil. Sprinkle over 1/2 tsp salt, and all the pepper and Chinese five spice. Rub all over the flesh, including on the sides.

Foil boat: Place 2 pieces of foil on a work surface. Put the belly in middle of foil, skin side up. Fold the sides in to enclose the belly, forming an open box, pinching corners to seal tightly and make it as snug as possible. Place meat on a tray.

Slow roast 2 hours: Place in the oven and roast for 2 hours, tightening the foil around the pork after 1 hour (the pork will shrink). This protects the flesh from drying out.

Level pork: Remove pork from foil, discard fat and foil. Place pork on a rack set over a tray. Use scrunched up balls of foil stuffed under pork to prop it up so the skin surface is as level and horizontal as possible (see photos in post).

30 minutes blast! Place the pork back in the oven for 30 minutes, rotating after 15 minutes as needed, until the crackling is deep golden, puffy and crispy all over. If some patches are browning faster, protect with foil patches.

Crispy pork belly for banh mi

Sauce - Mix the ingredients in a bowl then set aside. This will keep for 5 days in the fridge .

Chop pork - Cut the pork into 1 1/2 cm / 0.6&quot; thick slices, then each slide into 1 1/2 cm / 0.6&quot; chunks.

Split &amp; spread - Split the roll in half down the side, keeping the lid attached. Smear the base with 1 1/2 tbsp of pate, then 1 1/2 tbsp of mayonnaise (on top of the pate)

Stuff - Pile about 1/3 cup pickled vegetables on the mayonnaise. Lay 2 slices of cucumber and 2 green onions against the lid. Pile pork on top. Drizzle pork with 1 tbsp of sauce. Stuff coriander/cilantro down the side, sprinkle with chilli then2 tablespoons of crispy shallots as you want (if using).

Serving - Eat immediately! Banh mi is definitely one of those foods best eaten freshly made!

Making the banh mi

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Slow-Roasted Crispy Pork Belly

Crispy Pork Belly Banh Mi

Top 2 pork belly crackling recipes from across the web

The most viewed pork belly crackling recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Slow-Roasted Crispy Pork Belly

Crispy Pork Belly Banh Mi

The most viewed pork belly crackling recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine