Crispy Pork Belly with Cracklings

Ingredients

• 2 lbs pork belly, skin on
• 2 tbsp salt (for the skin)
• 1 tbsp Chinese five-spice
• 1 tsp black pepper

Method

1. 1

   Pat the pork belly completely dry, then score the skin in a tight crosshatch pattern using a very sharp knife, cutting through the skin but not into the fat below — this scoring is what lets steam escape and the skin blister into crackling, instead of staying tough and rubbery.

2. 2

   Rub salt deep into the scored lines, then season the meat side with five-spice and black pepper.

3. 3

   Let sit uncovered in the fridge at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, to dry out the skin further.

4. 4

   Preheat oven to 300°F and roast the pork belly, skin-side up, for 1.5 hours.

5. 5

   Increase oven temperature to 450°F and roast 20-25 more minutes until the skin is deeply blistered and crackling. Rest 10 minutes, then slice.