Pork Belly seems to be one of the most sought-after cuts of meat. The Iron Chef show is the one that brought this cut to the forefront. In restaurants today, it’s become one of the hottest items to order.

Once you’ve ordered the Pork Belly, you’ll most likely always order it, no matter the style it’s being served. It’s that delicious! I sometimes think we may be a little slow in trying new things. In Asian cuisine, pork belly has been added to a variety of dishes.

I have an easy and great way to prepare Crispy Pork Belly at home. It will come out tender and golden, with a crispy top. This recipe doesn’t require scoring the skin in any way. I think it’s worth mentioning that Shaoxing rice wine is available in most Asian markets today.

If you love Asian cuisine and want to make delicious Asian dishes at home, Shaoxing rice wine should be a pantry staple.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 4 to 12 hours
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time: 13 hours 15 minutes
Yields: 4 servings (10 large pieces)
Equipment: sheet pan with rack,  9 x 9 square glass baking dish, whisk, meat-safe cutting board, chef’s knife, aluminum foil

Ingredients for the Pork Belly:
1 (2-pound) pork belly
1 cup of kosher salt, coarse grind

Ingredients for the Marinade:
1/4 cup of soy sauce, low-sodium
1/3 cup of Shaoxing rice wine
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of black pepper, freshly-ground
2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup
1/4 cup of orange juice, no pulp
2 cloves of garlic, minced

Instructions:
Using a paper towel, pat the skin of the Pork Belly completely dry. Whisk together all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and then pour them into a baking dish large enough to hold the pork belly.

Carefully place the Pork Belly into the baking dish, making sure only the meat touches the marinade. The skin on the top must remain completely dry. If the marinade level is too high, discard any extra. Place the baking dish with the pork belly and marinade into the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Completely line a roasting pan with foil. Pour an inch of water into the bottom of the pan. Place a wire rack on top to hold the Pork Belly.

Remove the baking dish with the marinated pork belly from the fridge. While the pork belly is still in the baking dish, spread 1 cup of kosher salt evenly over the fat cap, as shown in the pictures above.  Next, transfer the Pork Belly onto the wire rack. The Pork Belly will cook above the water, and the drippings will fall into the water.

Bake for around 40 minutes.

Adjust oven temperature to 470°F.

Remove the Pork Belly from the oven. The salt should have formed a crust that can easily be removed. Refer to the picture of the Pork Belly with the salted fat cap removed.

Place the Pork Belly back into the oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes. The skin should be bubbly and crisp.  Using an instant-read thermometer, the internal temperature should be 165 degrees F.

Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

There you have it, my Crispy Pork Belly.

Notes:
1) If one part of the Pork Belly is slightly lower or shorter on one side, use an oven-safe item to prop it up on that side so the pork will cook evenly.

2) Linda Lou Hamel is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through the online nutritional calculator of your choice. Calories and values can vary depending on the brands you choose.