
Experience the ultimate melt-in-your-mouth pork belly featuring perfectly blistered, crispy crackling and a rich, aromatic five-spice gravy. This slow-roasted masterpiece combines traditional Chinese flavors with a savory sauce for a truly impressive main course.
In a bowl, whisk together the five-spice powder, soy sauce, honey, rice wine, malt vinegar, grated ginger, garlic, and chili. Place the pork belly in a shallow dish, meaty-side down, ensuring the marinade only touches the meat. Keep the skin dry, salt it lightly, and refrigerate uncovered for at least 4 hours, or ideally overnight, to allow the skin to dry out for better crackling.
Preheat your oven to 150°C (130°C fan/gas 2). Pour the marinade (or the excess from the dish) into a roasting tin that fits the pork snugly. Place the pork on top, skin-side up. Roast for 2 hours until the meat is tender. Remove from the oven, transfer the pork to a board, and strain the roasting juices through a sieve into a small saucepan. Skim off the fat and reserve it in a separate bowl.
Increase the oven temperature to 230°C (210°C fan/gas 8). Wipe the roasting tin clean, return the pork to it, and brush the skin with sunflower oil. Roast for 30–35 minutes, basting the skin with a little of the reserved fat once or twice, until the skin has blistered into crispy crackling. If it hasn't crackled fully, place it under a hot grill for a few minutes, watching closely to prevent burning. Let the pork rest for 10 minutes before carving.
While the pork rests, prepare the gravy. Add the chicken stock to the pan with the strained roasting juices and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, then adjust the seasoning with extra soy or vinegar if desired. Mix the cornflour with 1 tablespoon of water to form a smooth paste, stir it into the sauce, and simmer until thickened. Carve the pork into thick slices and serve with the warm gravy and fresh garnishes.
For the best crackling, the skin must be bone-dry before it goes into the high-heat roast. You can even use a hairdryer on a cool setting to dry the skin further after the first roast. If you're planning ahead, the pork can be slow-roasted up to two days in advance; simply chill it and perform the high-heat crackling step just before serving.