Crispy Slow-Roasted Five-Spice Pork Belly with Gravy

Name: Crispy Slow-Roasted Five-Spice Pork Belly with Gravy
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 200 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1.2 kg piece of boneless pork belly lightly scored all over; 1 tbsp Chinese five-spice powder; 3 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp honey; 100 ml Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry; 2 tbsp malt vinegar; 15 g fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated; 4 clove garlic; 0.5 piece red chilli roughly chopped; 1 tsp sunflower oil; 200 ml chicken stock; 2 tsp cornflour; 1 handful sliced spring onions chillies and roughly chopped coriander, to serve

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.

Servings6 Portions

Prep Time20 Mins

Cook Time180 Mins

Difficulty

Intermediate

Ingredients

piece of boneless pork belly lightly scored all over
1.2 kg
Chinese five-spice powder
1 tbsp
soy sauce
3 tbsp
honey
1 tbsp
Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry
100 ml
malt vinegar
2 tbsp
fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
15 g
garlic
4 clove
red chilli roughly chopped
0.5 piece
sunflower oil
1 tsp
chicken stock
200 ml
cornflour
2 tsp
sliced spring onions chillies and roughly chopped coriander, to serve
1 handful

Step-by-Step Instructions

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.