This dish brings back a ton of memories every-time I make it. I first shared this recipe back in 2018 on the YouTube channel and to this day it’s still a hit. As a young fella on the islands, Saturdays were reserved for attending Kung Fu movies at the local cinemas in San Fernando with my dad and younger brother. After-which dad would take us to a Chinese shop/restaurant on Mucurapo Street to have this same crispy pork belly – sandwiches. Loaded with pepeprsauce, ketchup and the odd time.. topped with chow mein. Real niceness!
You’ll Need…
3-4 lbs pork belly
2 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt + 1 teaspoon for topping
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon 5 spice powder
2 tablespoon white vinegar
Important! Please try to get a piece of pork belly with a fair amount of lean meat and not too much fat. while you do need the fat, I find that too many times restaurants give us overly fatty crispy pork belly.
Make sure the pork is hair free (you may need to use a razor to remove any remaining hair on the skin). You now need to prick the skin of the pork so we get that crunch/crispy skin after it’s done in the oven. I used bamboo skewers to prick the skin (watch the video) but you can use anything with a sharp point – that can go through the skin (it can be tough). Try to prick as much of the skin as you can.
Then flip it over and make 1 inch (wide) cuts down the length of the flesh and about 1/2 inch deep (as in the pic below). here is where we’ll add the rub, so to add a ton of flavor to the completed dish.
First off, brush the Chinese cooking wine over the flesh side of the pork belly (not the skin) and into the cuts we made. Then make a mixture with the salt, black pepper, Chinese 5 Spice powder, sugar, garlic powder and onion powder and work into the flesh and cuts (NOT the skin).
Now flip it over and place in a bowl and into the fridge to air-dry overnight. Do NOT cover!
The next day, remove it from the fridge and let it come up to room temperature. Please pre-heat your oven to 400 F. Create a pouch with foil for the flesh side of the belly (see image below), with the skin exposed and brush the skin with the vinegar, then sprinkle on the remaining salt. Into the oven on the middle rack.
After 55 minutes, it’s time to crank up the heat in your oven to “broil” – which in my oven is 500 F.
Back on the middle rack – PLEASE keep an eye on things as this is where it can burn with the high heat. In my case the edges did char a bit, but small ting. It took about 7-10 minutes.
Allow it to cool, then flip it over and using the long cuts we originally made as a guide, slice though. then cut into bite size pieces.
A tribute to my childhood and spending time with my dad and brother. Do give the recipe a try as I know it will be a hit in your home. If you can, please support. And should you have questions about this recipe or anything food related, be sure to Ask Chris.
