Thịt Heo Quay - Crispy Roast Pork

Crispy pork cooked on a gas grill. 

Difficulty: Medium

I only make this dish on special occasion because it takes too much effort in regards to watching it when it is cooking.  If you never had it before, it is an absolute treat.  The skin is cooked until crispy and crackling.  The Chinese 5-spice seasoning makes the meaty part just divine.  In the picture above, I tested the pork on a gas grill and it wasn't as easy as the oven version because it kept catching on fire because of the high fat.  The oven method allowed from the pork to cook at more controlled environment and dying out the surface to allow for the skin to crisp up.

1 to 1.5lb of pork belly
1/8 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
3 tsp Kosher salt divided 2 to 1
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1.5 tsp of sugar
2 cloves garlic minced finely
.5 tsp baking powder

Wash and clean the pork belly.  You want to scald the skin side with boiling water and scraping it with the side of my knife and pat dry.  Score diamond cuts into the meaty side of the meat.  You also score the skin side, carefully making sure that you don't cut all the way through to the fat.  You can also stab the skin side with skewers.  Mix together the Chinese 5-spice, 1 tsp of salt, sugar, minced garlic, and black pepper and rub into the meaty sides, making sure that you don't touch the skin side.

Rub the baking soda on the skin and wipe off any excess.  Let the pork belly rest in the fridge for a couple of hours so the meat can marinade.  Heat up the oven to 400-degrees.  Before putting it in the oven, rub the remaining 2 tsp of salt on the skin and place it on a raised baking rack.  Cook with the skin side down for about 35-40 mins.  Take the meat out of the oven and flip the pork belly over and wipe off any excess fat.  You can use skewers and stab any extra holes so that the skin can bubble up and become crispy.  Place the meat back on the highest rack, closest to the broiler element and allow it to cook and dry up.  This step, you want to watch with the oven door open so to make sure it doesn't burn.  If there is a lot of fat, use paper towel to blot off the excess to ensure maximum crispiness.

Once done, let the pork belly rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

Cutting tip:  You want to cut through the meaty side first and stop at the skin. Once at the skin, use the other hand to whack down on the knife or otherwise the crispy skin will come off as one piece.