Crispy Skin Pork Belly Roast

A classic, easy to follow recipe for slow roasted pork belly with crispy skin and tender meat, a winner for Sunday roasts or weeknight entertaining.

I haven't always been a fan of pork belly or pork as such but once I learnt how to cook it properly this changed quickly. Since then I make this roast occasionally for the family, and it always turns out to be a hit!

Served with my salted apple caramel sauce and roasted baby carrots with chimichurri, you will be set for a delicious meal. Make sure to carve the belly right at the table so that everyone can hear that beautiful crackling of the skin!

Pork belly is easy to cook once you have a recipe that works. You want the skin to be crispy but the meat to be juicy and tender. Our roast is all that but doesn't take hours to cook - try it for yourself!

What is pork belly?

As the name suggests, pork belly is the belly of a pig. This fatty cut of meat is easy to spot in the butchery due to a thick layer of fat running across the top.

Does it remind you of something else too? Correct! Bacon is made from pork belly after it has been smoked, cured and sliced.

Ingredients needed

Pork belly is a rich cut of meat and hence doesn't require many ingredients, these few ingredients below are more than enough:

Pork Belly - look for a rectangular or square cut of pork belly with the fat still attached to the meat. Some butchers will score the fat for you already which comes in handy if you don't have a sharp knife at home.

Fennel Seeds and pork make for a perfect combination.

Smoked Paprika is used to add a rich, smoky flavour to the meat.

Sea Salt to add to the spice rub and to help crisp up the skin.

How to make it

Now, there are a few tricks to make the perfect pork belly, I of course will try to cover most, but here is an important one to start with!

the day before

Chances are high that you plan your special meal days ahead. I personally like to do my shopping at least one day before I do all my cooking.

A good practice here is to leave the pork belly with the fat side up uncovered in the fridge to dry out the skin. This will help to get a nice crackling. Or even better, prepare the next two steps and then leave the belly over night in the fridge.

Scoring the pork belly skin

Scoring the skin of the pork belly will help in rendering the fat and create that crackling crisp. You will need a very sharp knife to do this, some even use a carpet knife!

Cut diagonal lines on the fat of the belly with the tip of your knife. Make sure not go too deep, you just want to score the top layer of the fat.

If you cut into the meat, you risk the juices escaping and the meat becoming dry.

The spice rub

Pork belly doesn't need much seasoning, sometimes salt is enough. For some extra flavour I have created a simple spice mix.

Just combine the fennel seeds, smoked paprika and sea salt preferably in a mortar using a pestle. Rub the pork belly all around with the spice mix and let it infuse.

Leave the meat in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight for best results.

Boiling water method

The boiling water method I adapted from a chef who had trained in Asia and made the most amazing 5 spice pork belly.

Once the spice rub has infused long enough place it on a wire rack sitting on top of a roasting tray (or you can do this over the kitchen sink).

Bring a small pot with water to a boil and pour the water over the skin with a ladle couple of times (a ladle at a time to be more precise).

The hot water shrinks the skin and again, will help with crisp up the roast. Make sure to pour the water only over the fatty skin and thoroughly pat dry the surface afterwards with a paper towel.

Cooking the pork belly

To cook the pork belly leave it with the skin side facing up on the oven rack with the roasting tray underneath. This way the fat can drip down into the tray without creating a mess in your oven.

Add olive oil to the surface of the roast and season again with sea salt. Rub in the salt between the splits of the scored skin this is another important step to help achieve that crackling.

Cook the pork belly at 190°C (375°F) for 30 minutes and then increase the temperature to 220°C (425°F). Leave the pork roast for a further 15-20 minutes for that wonderful crackling to happen.

Carving the roast

Once the time is up check the texture of the skin. Use the back of a knife and gently scrape the top. You should hear that oh so familiar sound, kinda' like cutting into a fresh loaf of sourdough.

As with all roasts, it is important to give the pork belly a good rest before carving it. About 10 minutes is a good time.

Use a sharp knife or a serrated knife and gently cut through the crispy top.

FAQ's

What to serve it with

My favourite combination is pork belly and apple sauce. We created an apple and rosemary caramel sauce for this roast and the pairing was divine. If you fancy a gravy, make our simple chicken gravy recipe, it works well together.

Other suggestions are:

• mashed potato made with lots of butter
• roasted potatoes with preserved lemons
• brussel sprout slaw, cuts trough the fattiness of the pork belly
• roasted baby carrots with chimichurri sauce, adds a lovely kick
• braised red cabbage, reminds me of Christmas in Germany
• fondant potatoes, more of a fine dining garnish

This crispy skin pork belly is truly a showstopper main dish to impress your guests! So when you make it next for your dinner party, let us know how you went!

Until then happy cooking!