This is the best pork belly recipe I’ve made. The pork skin is incredibly crispy, perfectly golden, and the prep work is very minimal compared to all the other pork bellies I’ve made. No need to score or puncture holes in the skin. My search is over for the perfect pork belly recipe.
I’ve been obsessed with making the perfect crispy pork belly. I’ve had some success (here and here), but one thing that really bothered me was having to score the skin because it makes it hard to slice pieces with the skin intact. I’ve eaten pork belly that has unscored skin so I knew it was possible, but I hadn’t yet come across a recipe that didn’t require that step and when I tried not scoring it, the skin just wouldn’t get crispy enough.
Then I came across this recipe found on Rasa Malaysia for an easy Chinese Roast Pork, a recipe she got from a friend. The recipe prep is very minimal. You don’t need to dry the skin overnight, marinade the meat, score the skin, or puncture holes. What really intrigued me was that it uses a salt crust to crisp the skin.
The salt forms a crust when it’s baking, so you can remove the entire thing without having the skin turn too salty.
The skin then crisps up beautifully, staying a golden brown rather than getting too dark or burnt.
I did make some modifications to the recipe, especially the prep as well as the cooking times. Just based on my previous experience I knew the meat wouldn’t be nearly as flavorful or juicy without the marinade because I’ve tried just doing the rub right before cooking and it really isn’t the same. I also wanted to make sure the skin was extra dry, so I went ahead and put it in the fridge for several hours to dry out and give time for the meat to marinate. The prep is still pretty minimal, you just have to plan ahead.
The end result? This was everything I was looking for. The skin is fantastically crunchy and stays so for hours. The meat is juicy and flavorful too. The pork slices cleanly. This is just such an easy and almost fool-proof recipe too. I’ve been nervous about making pork belly for parties because sometimes the skin starts to burn, sometimes it doesn’t crisp evenly, the skin starts to fall apart when slicing, etc. But none of these issues here. This pork belly is such a thing of beauty and definitely a recipe I’m going to make for a party soon.
Update! Recipe now updated with video
Crispy Golden Pork Belly
Ingredients
- 2 lb pork belly
- 1 cup table salt
For the Marinade
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup shaoxing rice wine
- 2 tbsp brown sugar you can replace with sugar substitute for low carb or keto
- 2 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
- Using a paper towel, pat skin of pork belly until it is completely dry. Mix marinade ingredients in a bowl and then pour into a rectangular pan that is big enough to hold the pork belly. Place pork belly into the pan, making sure only the meat touches the marinade and the skin stays completely dry. If the marinade level is too high you can pour some of it out. Place in fridge for several hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Completely line a roasting pan with foil (this will make clean-up much easier). Pour 1 inch of water into bottom of pan. Place wire rack on top of roasting pan to hold the pork belly. Place the pork belly on the wire rack. The pork belly will cook above the water, with the pork drippings dripping down below into the water. Make sure the pork belly is level (if one part is lower/shorter the skin will not cook evenly. if you have to, use something oven-safe to prop up a shorter part to keep it completely level). Spread 1 cup of salt evenly across the pork belly skin. Place into top half of oven. Bake for about 40 minutes until meat looks cooked.
- Remove pork belly and increase oven temperature to 465°F. The salt that was poured over pork belly should have formed a crust. Remove salt crust from pork belly. Wipe off any excess salt from the pork belly skin. Once oven has reached desired temperature, place pork belly back into oven. Bake for another 30 minutes until skin is completely bubbly and crisp. Let pork belly cool a few minutes before cutting and serving.
Video
Notes
- Crust idea adapted from Rasa Malaysia
- If you are doing a low carb diet you can substitute the brown sugar with a sugar substitute
- If possible, I recommend purchasing your pork belly from a Chinese market like 99 Ranch. The meat department at 99 Ranch sells 2 lb pork bellies that are designed for this Chinese-style of roasted pork belly. Make sure you don't let the butcher scour the skin.
- Nutrition information provided is for the pork belly only. It is difficult to determine the amount of salt and marinade absorbed into the pork belly, so they are not included in the nutrition facts. Nutrition is for 1/8 of the pork belly.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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OMG. Just do it. You will NOT regret it. I have pics, not sure if I can upload them. I’m a crap cook. I am now a genius ????
I’m glad it turned out so well for you!
Thanks, this was great! I didn’t marinade / season at all and it still turned out amazing. I only had a bit more than 1lb, so cut 15 mins off each time. Also I didn’t have a rack so I used apples.
https://imgur.com/gallery/piPN5bG
I’m so glad it worked out well for you!
Hi, Can you use a boneless pork roast instead of the pork belly.
no it needs to be pork belly
Ive seen some recipes wrapping tin foil around the meat to make the salt crust stay. Will this method affect the cooking time?
Yes that would affect cooking time. I haven’t had any issues with the salt crust staying. I recommend just trying it without the foil
Hello!
I made this recipe with pork belly and it worked out amazingly! I was wondering if you could use this for a pork shoulder cut with bone in and how the timings would adjust? Thank-you!
it will not work the same with pork shoulder. I’m glad it worked out well for you!
Hi I don’t have the rice wine, is there anything I can use as a substitute?
dry sherry
I have made this and served it to friends and family. All of them absolutely enjoyed it. I served it with a spicy mustard dipping sauce.
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it!
Worked out perfectly
I’m so glad it worked out!
I’ve eaten many pork belly dishes from restaurants, but never cooked it myself, so when I decided to try it, i was sceptical. I stumbled onto this recipe and it came out perfect. Every subsequent time has been just as perfect, juicy flesh with a hint of the marinade flavour throughout, and evenly crispy skin.
I’m so glad it worked out well for you!
Perfect pork belly- have tried and failed so many times, was so satisfying to finally get it right. Juicy tender meat, crispy crackling. Was surprised at the level of flavour with no salt added after crust was removed.
I’m so glad it worked out well for you!
Hi Kirbie
I tried your recipe for the first time yesterday for Sunday lunch…… It came out perfect. The other methods I have used before, pouring boiling water, using oil and salt on the skin etc. never came close to your method. So easy, so delicious and definitely a keeper. Thank you for posting such a great recipe.
I’m so glad the recipe worked out so well for you! thank you for letting me know!
The meat was good, but my skin didn’t get bubbly and was still thick and fatty. It was also. Wry tough. What did I do wrong? I want to make this like you did.
I’m sorry I don’t know why it didn’t work for you.
Hi there!
Tried the recipe but i guess i didnt get the same thing as what you got.
Did you remove the water bath on step 4? I didnt see it on the video and you didnt mention anything about it on step 4.
I’m sorry you didn’t get the same results. The water bath does not get removed. In the video you can still see that the pork sits on top of the water bath the whole time.
Thanks for this recipe. Perfect pork.
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
I did this and it turned out beautifully. I marinated it overnight. And when it cooked, the meat just melted in your mouth. So good!!
I’m so glad it worked out well for you!
Hi Kirbie
Just read all your reviews and now decided to use your recipe.
Im feeling confident. We follow a Keto lifestlye so swopping brown sugar for Sukin Gold otherwise everything the same.
I hope you enjoy!
Unbelievable. I’ll try hoisin for the base next time but the salt crust is quite a spectacle and works a treat.
I’m glad it worked out for you!
I love Vietnam and visit regularly. I love pork bellies but have never been able to cook them successfully……until using this recipe. Totally perfect and identical to the best I’ve had in Hanoi.
But my pork was slightly overcooked, it was a small piece. Where in the cooking process could I shave off 5-10 minutes – in the salt process or the 2nd roast ?
Thanks again……divine !!
You can try shaving a few minutes off of each bake since your pork belly was smaller
I love Vietnam and visit regularly. I love pork bellies but have never been able to cook them successfully……until using this recipe. Totally perfect and identical to the best I’ve had in Hanoi.
I’m so glad the recipe worked out well for you!
I’m over the moon!
I’m a crackling girl, but what o really liked about this recipe is that it didn’t leave the crackling oily.
It was quite dry with the perfect crisp and the flavor was awesome.
I poured some of my marinade into the water in the pan and when I served it, just drizzled a little of the water over. Very tasty, thank you!
I’m glad you liked the recipe!
I tried out this recipe as I didn’t have time for my usual 48 hour pork belly recipe and it turned out great. Super easy prep, crispy skin guaranteed while also leaving the meat tender and juicy. I highly recommend it. Thanks Kirbie
I’m really happy it worked out well for you!