Weekends on Mucurapo Street in Trinidad meant weekends with a big, crispy pork belly sandwich stuffed full of peppers and chow mein. I didn’t realize until I tried to recreate it in my home kitchen, with just basic ingredients and an overnight rest in the fridge, that this simple Crispy Chinese-Style Pork Belly held so much joy and comfort. The ritual of scoring the skin, air‑drying for crispiness, and then roasting to golden perfection feels like a tribute to Dad’s Friday movie nights.
Ingredient Guide
- Pork Belly: Offers a perfect ratio of crisp skin, fat, and meaty layers when roasted properly.
- Chinese Cooking Wine: Helps tenderize the meat and infuses a mild flavor into the flesh.
- Sugar: Promotes caramelization for deep color and sweetness.
- Salt: Essential both inside the cuts and on the exterior for flavor and crisping.
- Black Pepper: Adds warm, grounding spice to the meat.
- Garlic Powder: Imparts savory aromatics without overpowering other flavors.
- Onion Powder: Enhances depth and adds gentle sweetness.
- Chinese Five‑Spice Powder: Brings signature warmth and balanced spice note.
- White Vinegar: Helps dry and tighten the skin for that coveted crackle.
Shopping Made Easy
- Look for pork belly with a healthy layer of skin and balanced fat-to-meat ratio.
- Chinese cooking wine and five-spice powder are typically found in the Asian aisle or spice section.
- Keep sugar, salt, and spices in pantry for easy everyday preparation.
Cooking Notes from the Kitchen
- Prick the skin thoroughly with a sharp implement to allow heat to render and crisp.
- Score the meat side in 1-inch cuts to allow the marinade to penetrate and flavor every layer.
- Apply seasonings only to the flesh, not the skin—this preserves crispiness while the inside gets rich flavor.
- Air-dry overnight uncovered in the fridge to dry the skin fully, which is key to crisp texture.
- Start roasting at 400 °F (200 °C) for about 55 minutes, then finish under broil/500 °F (260 °C) for 7–10 minutes to achieve golden crackling.
How do I get the skin super crispy?
Pricking the skin, air‑drying it uncovered in the fridge, and finishing under high broil are the secrets to achieving that iconic crispy crackling.
Can I skip overnight drying?
If time is tight, dry the skin as much as possible, brush with vinegar and salt, and increase broil time, but overnight air‑drying gives the best results.
What’s the best way to slice it?
Use the score cuts as your guide, cook and cool fully, then slice between the flesh segments into bite-sized pieces.
How should it be served?
Serve warm on sandwiches with peppers and ketchup, as a protein in bowls, or simply with rice and vegetables for delicious simplicity.
Crispy Chinese‑Style Pork Belly
Ingredients
Method
- Score the skin thoroughly (using a skewer), and 1‑inch deep cuts into the flesh.
- Marinate the flesh side with wine, sugar, salt (heartily), pepper, garlic and onion powders, and five‑spice powder; avoid the skin.
- Place belly skin side up on a plate in the fridge, uncovered, overnight to dry.
- Preheat oven to 400 °F (200 °C). Wrap foil around the flesh side but leave skin exposed.
- Brush skin with vinegar, sprinkle with remaining salt, and roast on middle rack 55 minutes.
- Increase oven to 500 °F (260 °C) broil and cook nearest heat for 7–10 minutes until crackling forms; watch closely.
- Rest pork 15 minutes. Slice along scored lines into bite‑size pieces. Serve warm.
