Crispy Pork Belly Roast

Name: Crispy Pork Belly Roast
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 120 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: pork belly with skin 1 kg; coarse salt 3 tsp; garlic 4 clove; rosemary 2 piece; olive oil 2 tsp; black pepper 1 tsp

Quick answer

Active time: 135 min
Waiting: See the steps
Level: Medium
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 6

About this dish

Blistered crackling that shatters under the knife starts long before the oven.

The skin is scored at 1 cm intervals, coarse salt is rubbed into the cuts, and the belly dries uncovered in the fridge for 8 hours. Any new droplets are wiped off just before roasting, so the skin enters the heat cold and dry. Oil and pepper are rubbed on the meat side only, leaving the dried skin untouched, and the belly sits on garlic and rosemary in the pan. A hot start blisters the skin, then a lower temperature renders the fat slowly. If the crackling still needs help, a brief, closely watched turn under the broiler finishes it, and the roast rests before slicing.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmount

garlic4 clove

rosemary2 piece

As an Amazon Associate, we may earn from qualifying purchases.

Instructions

6 steps

1

Pat the pork belly skin very dry with paper towels before cutting.

Score only the skin at 1 cm intervals with a sharp knife, taking care not to cut deeply into the meat underneath.
2

Press 3 teaspoons of coarse salt firmly into the scored lines.

Do not leave the salt only on the surface, because it needs to sit in the cuts to draw out moisture evenly.
3

Refrigerate the pork belly uncovered for 8 hours so the skin can dry thoroughly.

Before roasting, the surface should feel cold and dry, and any visible droplets should be wiped away.
4

Place 4 garlic cloves and 2 rosemary sprigs in the roasting pan, then set the pork belly on top.

Rub 2 teaspoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon black pepper mainly over the meat side, not the dried skin.
5

Roast at 220C for 30 minutes and check that bubbles are forming across the skin.

Avoid leaving the oven door open, then reduce to 180C and roast for another 80 minutes to render the fat slowly.
6

If the crackling is still not crisp, broil it for only 5 more minutes while watching closely.

Remove it before dark patches burn, rest for at least 10 minutes, then slice so the juices stay in the meat.