Crispy pork belly is a project, but it is one of the most rewarding things you can make at home. The skin, when done right, shatters like glass — a paper-thin, intensely crispy crackling over tender, fat-streaked meat below. The secret is drying the skin, scoring it, and finishing with extremely high heat. This takes time, but almost none of it requires your attention.
Ingredients
The Prep — Day Before
Score the skin in a crosshatch pattern — cuts should reach through the skin but not into the fat. Mix salt and baking powder and rub into the scored skin thoroughly. Place uncovered on a rack in the fridge overnight. This drying step is what creates crackling. Moist skin steams, not crisps.
The Cook
- Remove from fridge 30 minutes ahead
- Rub meat side (not skin) with soy, honey, and five-spice
- Roast at 300°F (150°C) skin-side UP for 1.5–2 hours
- Increase temperature to 450°F (230°C) for final 20–25 minutes
- The skin will blister and crackle — watch carefully in this final stage
- Rest 10 minutes before cutting with a sharp knife
"Baking powder mixed with salt on the skin is the secret most recipes skip. It changes the pH of the skin's surface and creates tiny bubbles as it cooks — resulting in crackling that is lighter, more blistered, and crisper than salt alone ever produces."
Use a sharp knife or a Stanley blade (new) for scoring — it cuts through the tough skin without tearing. Score deep enough to cut the skin cleanly but stop before hitting the meat. Parallel lines 1cm apart is the classic cut, giving clean rectangular portions after cooking.