This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
The PERFECT JUICY CRISPY PORK BELLY with ULTRA CRISPY SKIN – I’ve perfected this recipe over the years and now you can make it at home for your friends & family! Make sure to check out my “INGREDIENT TIPS” section, as I have provided as much information as possible to help you successfully make this dish at home!
Watch the Crispy Pork Belly Recipe Video Below!
Getting the perfect Chinese pork belly is not as hard as it looks! I’ve made so many versions of this over the years and have learned a few KEY tips & techniques that will ensure your pork belly is JUICY & the skin is CRISPY!
Ingredients for Crispy Pork Belly
You only need a few ingredients to make this delicious Crispy Pork Belly. Next, you’ll find all the ingredients you’ll need to make it!
- 2.5ย lbย pork bellyย skin-on
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tbsp white pepper
- 1/2 tbsp five spice powder
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp shaoxing wine plus 2 tsp as needed to form a paste
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1 egg white beaten
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
Top Tips for Making the Best Crispy Roast Pork
Here are a few of my top tips for making sure your Crispy Pork Belly comes out delicious every time!
- PORK BELLY SELECTION:
- Go to your butcher and ask for a boneless, center cut, skin-on pork belly.
- A center cut pork belly will be the most even and symmetrical piece – this will allow for an even proportion of skin and meat.
- If possible, ask your butcher to select a pork belly with a thin layer of white fat in between the meat sections. I have found that these pieces results in the most optimal end result. The pork belly will be not as fatty and have plenty of lean meat.
- 24-48 HOURS BEFORE COOKING:
- There is no way around this – this is going to be a multi day process. You MUST DRY the pork belly with the skin EXPOSED in the fridge for at least 24 hours (48 hours is better). This will reduce the moisture and result in a super crispy skin.
- DISTILLED WHITE VINEGAR – MY SECRET INGREDIENT:
- Do NOT SKIP the vinegar before the salt crust! The vinegar will further soften the skin when baking, as well as remove any odor from the skin. I have seen other recipes call for baking soda but I have found that vinegar works best for me!
- INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS:
- I will always let you know if a substitution is okay, as I know some ingredients are harder to find than others. However, for this dish, I do NOT recommend using anything other than what I have listed. It has taken me many tries to perfect this recipe over the years. If you DO use a substitution to good results, please let me know – I would love to hear from you!!
If you liked this Crispy Pork Belly recipe, check out some of my other popular meat and side dish recipes, including the Air Fryer Crispy Pork Belly recipe that has over 20 million views on social media!
Love pork? Try my Sweet and Sour Pork recipe!
If you tried this Crispy Pork Belly or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ๐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Crispy Pork Belly
Ingredients
- 2.5 lb pork belly, skin-on
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tbsp white pepper
- 1/2 tbsp five spice powder
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp shaoxing wine, plus 2 tsp as needed to form a paste
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1 egg white, beaten
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
Instructions
- Pat your skin on pork belly dry and poke holes all across the skin of the pork. Ensure that the holes only puncture the skin and do not go all the way through the meat.
- To the meat side, use a knife to make 1/2" cuts lengthwise across the pork belly. In a small bowl, combine salt, white pepper, five spice powder, sugar, and shaoxing wine to make a paste. Evenly spread the paste on the meat side of the pork and crevicesย ensuring not to touch the skin.
- Place the punctured and marinated pork on a piece of foil and create a foil boat wrapping the pork, leaving the skin exposed. Place in the fridge for 24 hours (48 hours for best results) to help the skin further dry out.
- Once the skin is dry, mix together salt and a beaten egg white. Brush the skin with a layer of white vinegar, then evenly layer the salt/egg mixture directly on the skin.
- Bake at 300F for 30 minutes, then remove the salt from the skin and brush off any excess salt. At this point the skin should be softened. Poke more holes throughout the skin.
- Bake at 450F for 30-45 minutes or until the skin has puffed up. If any edges are starting to burn, place a small piece of foil to cover to get the skin as evenly crisp as possible. If needed, place pork under broiler for a few minutes to speed up the blistering process (watch carefully to ensure skin does not burn). Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this recipe! Canโt wait to make it again!
I love this recipe as well as as many other Asian cuisines! Being Asian-American myself, I love noodles, and tangy new flavors! This crispy pork belly adds texture and protein to my family meal! Delicious and fun to make with my daughter โค๏ธ @MrsKBarro
This recipe is incredible! I saw you make it on instagram and it HIT me with a craving. Easy to follow, too.
This recipe is incredible. I saw you
@livelyreader4
Next level. This, with some steamed greens was a winner.
This is the recipe that caught my eye on your account & I started following! @glo_lu
Great recipe and easy to follow. @mylittlesunshine_lovely
Out of the huge nommy delicious recipes on this website, this one is my favorite.
I like how detailed it is and when you try and make this, you do not want to mess it up and waste such a good piece of pork belly. It’s a recipe you can trust.
I like how there are the different options to increase on the servings, it just makes it so easy. All the details in each step definitely are needed to successfully make this dish.
Delicious.
This is the reason I tlstarted following you on Insta!
Sooo good!
Insta: stelladuqu