Crispy Teriyaki Pork Belly Recipe

Crispy Teriyaki Pork Belly

I made Crispy Chinese Roasted Pork Belly about 2 months ago. The belly, and the cracking, was so good that I had to make it again. This time I used teriyaki marinade, hence moving from China to Japan. I liked both versions equally.

In case you are concerned about the fat content, consider the following:

·   The thick white bit that you think is fat is actually about half fat and half something else (I can’t remember the name)

·       Less than 40% of the total fat is saturated fat

·       If cooked  on a wire rack, part of the fat gets rendered

·  So the total fat content of the belly after cooking and after the fat has rendered may be comparable to the fat content of sausages

·     If you like to cook pork belly over a bed of greens, the greens will absorb the fat and you won’t notice it. So eating more of those ‘fat free’ greens will counter the guilty feeling from eating pork belly.

       Hope I have convinced you to try pork belly, in case you haven’t tried it yet.

Adopted from an earlier recipe I did for Crispy Chinese Roasted Pork Belly

Crispy Teriyaki Pork Belly

Ingredients

800g boneless pork belly, skin on and scored

500ml boiling water

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon salt flakes

Sauce

½ cup soy sauce

½ cup mirin

2 tablespoons sugar

1½ teaspoons minced garlic

1½ teaspoons minced ginger

Method

1.      Combine ingredients for the sauce in a saucepan and reduce on medium heat until the sauce thickens

2.      Place pork belly, skin-side up, on a wire rack over the sink. Pour over boiling water to scald the pork skin. If possible, try to avoid hot water getting on the meat as it will cook it slightly

3.      Dry the skin with kitchen paper and place pork, uncovered, in the refrigerator for two hours.

4.      Remove pork from fridge and place, skin-side up, on a chopping board. Using the tip of a sharp knife, stab the pork skin repeatedly until the surface is covered with holes, being careful not to go all the way through.

5.      Turn the pork belly over and make cuts about 2cm apart and 1cm deep.

6.      Rub marinade evenly over the flesh side of the pork (not the skin) and massage well into the cuts.

7.      Place pork, skin-side up, on a wire rack (this same rack will be used for roasting the pork, so make sure it is ovenproof and fits inside a roasting tin) and place over a tray or large plate to catch any drips. Place in refrigerator and leave pork uncovered overnight

8.      The next day, bring pork to room temperature and heat oven to 150°C/300°F

9.      Transfer pork and wire rack to a roasting tin. Rub skin well with the sesame oil, then scatter salt all over. Roast for 1½–2 hours or until tender (to test, pierce the meat with a skewer – you should meet no resistance).

10.  Increase the oven temperature to 220°C/430°F and continue roasting for 15 minutes.

11.  Remove pork from oven and allow to rest, uncovered, in a warm place for 15 minutes.

Pin It