Crispy Pork Belly
Crispy golden pork skin fried with tender and juicy pork belly, seasoned generously with garlic powder, pepper, and five-spice powder - a wonderful treat for the family!
Equipment
- Stainless Steel Pan
- Casserole
- Sharp Kitchen Knife
- Chopping Board
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1.4 kg pork belly, with skin
- 500 ml vinegar, to soak pork skin
Marinade Rub
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp onion oil
- 1 tbsp five-spice powder
- 3/4 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- cooking oil, for deep-frying
Instructions
Preparation
- Cut pork belly into manageable sizes, but not bite-sized.
Pre-Cooking
- In a stainless steel pan over medium-high heat, add pork belly with skin facing down. Add enough water to submerge completely. Cover the pan and simmer for 17 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the five-spice powder, pepper and garlic powder until well-combined. Set aside with the salt.
- After 17 minutes, turn the pork. Cook for another 12 minutes.
- After 12 minutes, flip it again. Let it simmer for 1 minute. Switch off the heat. Transfer to a cooling rack.
- Once cool enough to handle, carefully make small incisions all over the pork skin with a knife. A skin pricker works too. Wipe the excess moisture with a paper towel.
- Cut the pork skin to your desired width, stopping just before the meat layer.
- Sprinkle salt and marinate the pork belly all over.
- Set the pork belly on its skin. Pour and rub 1/4 of the onion oil evenly over the pork meat. Repeat with the dry marinade.
- Wipe the moisture from the pork skin. Set the pork with skin down in a large glass or ceramic casserole pan. Pour vinegar until the skin layer is fully submerged. Soak for 20 minutes.
- Air fry pork belly for 25 minutes at 160C/ 320F. Set aside to cool.
- If freezing, wrap carefully with cling wrap and store in an airtight container for 6-8 weeks. Otherwise, add oil for deep frying to a pan over medium-high heat.
Deep-Frying
- When it's time to fry, remove the cling wrap and lightly dab any excess moisture away (if applicable).
- Test the oil with a pair of chopsticks. When bubbles form at the tip, it's ready. Add a shallow steamer stand and the pork belly, skin side down. Let it fry for 8 minutes. Flip the pork and cook for 1 minute. Flip it once more and let it brown for 1 minute.
- Transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat for the second batch (if any). Cook for 6 minutes on one side. Flip and cook for 1 minute on both sides.
Serving
- Cut pork belly into bite-sized pieces, following the pre-made cut.
- Serve immediately with Sour Spicy Chicken Chilli Sauce and some cut cilantro leaves.
Video
Notes
Tips
- Cut the pork belly skin length-wise to get your desired width before air-frying. This makes it easier to get bite-sized pieces later.
- The more moisture removed from the skin, the more it will crackle, and the crispier it becomes.
- Salt and vinegar achieve a similar result, however, vinegar imparts little to none of its flavour to the pork - so it's my preferred choice as the dehydrating agent.
- Using dry rubs enables the usage of the air-fryer. Using sauces tends to make a mess in the air fryer.
- Adding a steamer stand adds space between the pork skin and pan. This helps the skin expand and crackle nicely.
- Serve with white rice, and dip in Sour Spicy Chicken Chilli Sauce.
Storage Instructions
Once deep-fried, it's best to consume the Crispy Pork Belly in one sitting. Exposing it to the air or chill eventually softens the skin and deflates the crunch. Not recommended to keep in the fridge. It can be frozen in cling wrap after air-frying.Nutrition
Serving: 140gCalories: 604kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 33gFat: 52gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 12gMonounsaturated Fat: 26gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 120mgSodium: 659mgPotassium: 341mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 28IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 50mgIron: 1mg
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