Crispy crackling and tender pork belly meat paired with Chinese five-spice powder – a match made in heaven. For just the tiniest amount of work in the kitchen, using an inexpensive piece of meat, you get the most amazing results, which will feed a crowd. There are many different things you can do with pork belly as it’s quite versatile, but I like the simplicity of this method; it’s a nod to Asia, where this is an incredibly popular cut of meat.
Ingredients
- 2 kg (4½lb) pork belly, fat scored horizontally
- 3 tblsp rapeseed oil
- 1–2 tsp chinese five-spice powder
- 2 garlic bulbs, peeled and sliced in half horizontally
- 1 large onion, peeled and cut into thick slices horizontally
- sea salt
- asian greens and sugar snap peas, to serve
Method
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F/Gas 3). Rub the pork belly all over with oil, dust with the Chinese five-spice powder and sprinkle with sea salt.
- Place the garlic bulb halves and onion slices in the base of a large roasting tin and place the pork belly on top, skin-side down. Pour in a few tablespoons of water. Put the roasting tin in the oven and cook for 2½–3 hours.
- Remove from the oven and turn the pork belly over so that it is skin-side up. Sprinkle the skin with a little extra sea salt.
- Turn up the oven to 220°C (425°F/Gas 7) and cook the pork for a further 15–20 minutes until the skin is crispy. Carve into thick slices and serve with wilted Asian greens and sugar snap peas.
