Pouring Boiling Water Over Pork Is A Real Game Changer

Roasted pork belly, with crackling skin and juicy meat underneath the rendered fat, is a crowd-pleasing centerpiece for any dinner party. It can be served as a main course, as an appetizer atop a salad, and even thinly sliced as a sandwich filling. Adaptable to a wide variety of seasonings ranging from Cantonese five-spice to Caribbean mojo, pork belly is a delicacy that has cross-cultural appeal.

But despite its apparent simplicity, it takes time and effort to make a great pork belly with crispy, delicious crackling. First, the skin should be as dry as possible before roasting, as minimal moisture is the key to crispiness. Second, the fat underneath the skin needs to be rendered to produce the desired crispy skin. Although the skin should be dry before roasting, a somewhat counterintuitive, yet necessary step is to pour boiling water over it for the crispiest results. We know it sounds wacky, but the cracklings will be worth it. 

First, you need to score the pork skin with a very sharp knife. Cut into the skin and fat but not to the meat, or else the meat will lose moisture and become dry. Cutting into the meat would also allow meat juices to bubble up during roasting and flood the skin, preventing it from crisping up. Once you scored the skin in a crosshatch pattern about an inch apart between cuts, place the pork belly on a rack over the sink and pour boiling water all over the skin. You will notice that the rind shrinks, and the cuts become more visible, exposing the fat that allows for proper rendering. Pat your pork belly dry and place it uncovered in the fridge for a day to properly dry out the skin.

On the next day, pull the pork belly from the fridge, and season generously with coarse sea salt, ground black pepper, and Chinese five spice powder or fennel powder (ground fennel seeds). Once the pork is back to room temperature, place it in a preheated oven to start roasting on high heat before turning the heat down to finish cooking the center.

Crispy pork belly can be served hot straight from the oven, or room temperature. Grilled or steamed vegetables are a healthy pairing for this fatty meat. In Chinese cuisine, roasted pork with crackling is traditionally served with hoisin sauce for dipping, although you can certainly use a condiment of your choice. If you have leftovers, leave the pork to cool down completely before placing it in a container, as hot pork belly would steam up the container and turn the crackling soggy. Alternatively, you can peel off the crackling completely from the rest of the pork belly and store it separately.

Leftover pork belly can serve as the beginning of a delicious Asian-inspired fried rice. Start with dicing up the pork belly, removing the skin to use later. Fry up minced garlic and shallots in a hot oiled wok, and add day old rice, stirring vigorously to break up any lumps. Add the diced pork and any vegetable you desire. Season with soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili oil (optional). Serve with shards of crackling that has been reheated in the oven.