Crispy Pork Belly with Smashed Potatoes, Roasted Asparagus & Port-Rosemary Demi-Glace
Crispy pork belly has become one of my favourite comfort meals to make at home. There is something incredibly satisfying about hearing the crackle of perfectly crisp skin before cutting into tender, juicy pork.
Over the years, I’ve tried several different methods to achieve that perfect crackling. Some worked well, others were less predictable. After plenty of experimenting, this is the approach I come back to because it consistently produces crisp, blistered skin while keeping the pork juicy and tender.
The secret isn’t complicated. Dry the skin overnight, protect it with a layer of coarse sea salt while it slowly roasts, then finish it at a high temperature to create that beautiful golden crackling.
If your pork belly still has the rib bones attached, remove them first. I freeze the bones until I have enough to make a rich pork broth for homemade ramen.
Prick only the skin, not the meat beneath it. This allows the skin to dry more effectively and helps seasoning reach the surface without losing moisture from the meat.
Lightly season the meat with salt and pepper before cutting the pork into serving-size strips.
Arrange the pork pieces tightly together on a rack over a roasting pan filled with about an inch of water. Cover the skin completely with coarse sea salt, making sure no skin is exposed.
After roasting, carefully lift away the salt crust. If the skin feels damp, gently pat it dry before returning it to the oven.
Increase the oven temperature and roast until the skin puffs and crackles into a crisp golden crust. Rotate the rack if necessary so the crackling browns evenly.
What I Learned
• Removing the rib bones gives evenly sized portions and the bones never go to waste—they become pork broth for ramen.
• Pricking only the skin is enough. Going deeper allows juices to escape.
• Leaving the pork uncovered in the refrigerator overnight dries the skin and improves the crackling.
• The coarse salt protects the skin during the first stage of cooking while drawing out moisture.
• A pan of water keeps the meat moist while the skin slowly dries.
• Every oven is different. During the final roast, watch the crackling carefully and rotate the pan if necessary for even browning.
• Resting the pork for about 10 minutes keeps the meat juicy while preserving the crisp skin.
My Recipe
Ingredients
1 whole pork belly, skin on • Fine sea salt • Freshly ground black pepper • Coarse sea salt
Method
If your pork belly still has the rib bones attached, remove them first. I freeze the bones until I have enough to make a rich pork broth for homemade ramen.
Prick the skin all over, taking care not to pierce the meat beneath. This helps dry the skin and allows the seasoning to penetrate without losing moisture from the pork.
Place the pork uncovered in the refrigerator overnight.
The next day, lightly season the meat with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cut the pork into serving-size strips.
Pour about 2.5 cm (1 inch) of water into a roasting pan and place a flat rack over the pan.
Arrange the pork strips tightly together so the skin is level and the pieces touch one another. This creates an even surface for the salt crust.
Cover the skin completely with a generous layer of coarse sea salt, making sure no skin is exposed.
Roast at 176°C (350°F) for 45 minutes.
Remove the pork from the oven and carefully scrape away the salt crust. If the skin feels damp, gently pat it dry.
Increase the oven temperature to 235°C (455°F).
Return the pork to the oven and roast for 20–30 minutes, rotating the pan if necessary, until the skin is evenly blistered and crisp.
Allow the pork to rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Every oven has it’s own personality. During the final roast, keep a close eye on the crackling and rotate the pan if one side is browning more quickly than the other.
If a few spots become darker than the rest, don’t worry. Beautiful crackling is rarely perfectly uniform, and those darker blisters are often where the skin has crisped the most.
I Use This With
One of my favourite ways to serve crispy pork belly is with creamy mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus, and my Port-Rosemary Demi-Glace. The rich sauce complements the crisp pork beautifully without overpowering it.
While I love serving it with mashed potatoes and asparagus, crispy pork belly is equally at home with roasted root vegetables, buttered cabbage, braised red cabbage, apple slaw, steamed rice, or tucked into homemade ramen.
And don’t throw away the rib bones. I freeze mine until I have enough to make a rich pork broth for homemade ramen.
I hope this method becomes one of your favourites too. If you make it, I’d love to hear how it turns out.
Liz 'N Lux 