Eat Like A Viet: Crackle roast pork

Jenny’s recipe for the perfect crackle roast pork

Crackle Roast Pork 

Preparation Time 20 min Cooking time 1 hour Serves 8 

This recipe is best prepared the day before roasting, the flavour will much more intense and the crackling crunchier.

• 1.5kg slab of pork belly

  Marinade

• 1 cup soy sauce

• 1 tbsp chinese five spice

• 2 tbsp cognac, white wine or Chinese cooking wine 

• 1 tbsp salt

• ¼ cup vegetable oil

• 2 tbsp salt 

Rinse your piece of pork under cold water and leave to dry in a colander in the fridge for 15 minutes, then mix your marinade in a small bowl and set aside. 

Take your pork out of the fridge and turn it out onto a chopping board with the skin facing down, then make vertical shallot cuts on the meat side spaced out every 5cm. Pour half the marinade over the meat starting at the centre, and rub into the cuts. 

Transfer the pork belly to a baking tray large enough to lie it down flat with the skin facing up, then carefully pour the remaining marinade into the tray without touching the skin. Refrigerate uncovered overnight. 

Normal oven method: 

When ready to cook, preheat your oven onto 220 degrees Celsius. 

Mix the oil and salt together in a small bowl and using a pastry brush, then brush all the salt onto the skin of the pork belly, evenly spreading it out.

Place the pork belly onto a wire rack or directly on the top rack in the oven, with the baking tray underneath the pork to catch all the juices.  Cook for 20 minutes. Once your skin has puffed and crackled as desired (do check after 10 to 15 minutes that it is not burning), move it to the middle shelf in the oven and reduce the heat to 180 degrees. Continue cooking for another 40 minutes. Remove the pork from the oven to the bench, and leave to rest for half an hour before chopping up and serving . 

Tip: A glass convection oven will give you perfect results every time!  If you have one at home pull that one out, and if you don’t have one, I highly recommend it! If you love crackle roast pork, you can pick one up these days for around $80. 

Electric convection oven method: 

Place your pork inside the oven and cook on 220 degrees for 20 minutes, reduce it down to 180 degrees for the remaining 40 minutes. Remove the lid and allow to rest for half an hour before serving. 

To serve your crackle roast pork, turn the roast pork upside down on its skin onto a wooden chopping board, and using meat cleaver make a deep cut all the way through the meat until you reach the skin, then using your palm hit the back of the cleaver until it breaks the crackle.