Cantonese-Style Roast Pork Belly with Crackling and Five-Spice Honey Glaze

Cantonese-Style Roast Pork Belly with Crackling and Five-Spice Honey Glaze

This is the project dish: pork belly, salted and air-dried overnight so the skin turns to crackling, then roasted in a very hot oven and brushed with a sticky, five-spice honey glaze. It is the kind of thing Cantonese roast shops are known for, and making it at home is a real pleasure. Plan ahead, and the reward is shatteringly crisp skin over meat that is soft and juicy underneath.

You need

• 2 1/2 pounds (1.1 kg) skin-on pork belly, in one slab, with even thickness and a flat side
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine
• 3 scallions, smashed
• 3 slices fresh ginger, smashed
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon maltose or additional honey
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• Steamed rice and blanched greens, to serve

Method

1. Pat the pork belly very dry with paper towels. Using a fork or the tip of a sharp knife, prick the skin all over, about 1/2 inch (1 cm) apart, pricking only the skin and not deep into the meat.
2. Rub the rind with 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt, working it into the holes. Set the belly skin-side up on a rack set over a sheet pan. Refrigerate uncovered overnight, 12 to 18 hours, until the skin looks dry, matte, and slightly tight.
3. Heat the oven to 450 F (230 C) with a rack in the middle.
4. Mix the remaining 1 teaspoon salt with the five-spice and white pepper. Rub the mixture into the flesh side of the belly. Scatter the scallions and ginger underneath, then set it on a clean rack over a foil-lined sheet pan. Pour the rice wine into the pan, not over the skin.
5. Roast for 30 minutes to start the skin puffing. Reduce the heat to 325 F (165 C) and roast 1 hour 30 minutes more, until the meat is very tender when pierced and the thickest part reaches 190 F (88 C).
6. Meanwhile, warm the honey, maltose, dark soy, and vinegar in a small saucepan over low heat until smooth and fluid, about 2 minutes. Stir in the sesame oil and keep warm.
7. Raise the oven to 475 F (245 C). Brush the rind with a thin layer of the glaze and roast 5 to 10 minutes, watching closely, until the skin is blistered, deep golden, and crackling. If it puffs unevenly, pierce the bubbles with a skewer.
8. Rest the pork on a board for 15 minutes so the juices settle. Cut into 1/2-inch (1 cm) slices with a sharp knife or cleaver, and serve with steamed rice, blanched greens, and a little extra glaze drizzled over the top.