Crispy Pork Belly Rice Bowl
The first time I made this, I skipped the overnight fridge rest because I was hungry and figured an hour would do. It didn’t. The skin came out tough and chewy in the middle, kind of sad, with a few bubbly spots near the edges and nothing else. Now I score it the night before, pat it dry and leave it uncovered on a plate next to the milk.
Low heat comes first, inside a snug foil box, so the meat goes tender while the skin stays dry. Then the oven jumps to 465°F and the skin puffs and crackles in about half an hour. Honestly, the one thing that matters at that stage is keeping it level: if the slab tilts, prop the low side up with a ball of foil, because any sloped patch stays leathery. I slice it skin side down with a serrated knife.
A crispy pork belly rice bowl for a slow Sunday, when the oven can run for a couple of hours. The skin turns glassy and crackling while the meat stays soft and juicy. It goes over warm jasmine rice with a sweet, garlicky hoisin sauce on the side for dipping. Leftover pork keeps 3 days in the fridge.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Pat the pork belly dry with paper towels. Score the skin with a sharp knife in parallel lines about 1/2 inch apart, cutting through the skin into the fat but not into the meat. Set it skin side up on a plate and refrigerate uncovered overnight, or for at least 12 hours, so the skin dries out.2 lb skin-on pork belly
- Heat the oven to 285°F. Rub the meat side and edges with 1 teaspoon of the oil, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, the five spice and the pepper. Fold a double layer of foil into a snug box around the pork, skin side up, leaving the skin exposed. Rub the skin with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt evenly over it.1 tsp kosher salt, 1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil, 1/2 tsp Chinese five spice, 1/4 tsp black pepper
- Set the foil box on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 2 hours. After the first hour, pinch the foil walls tighter against the pork so the rendered fat doesn't creep over the skin.
- Raise the oven to 465°F. Lift the pork out of the foil, pour off the fat and set the belly on a wire rack over the baking sheet, skin side up. Wedge small balls of foil under any low side so the skin sits level. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway, until the skin is puffed, golden and crackling all over. Cover any patch that browns too fast with a scrap of foil.
- While the pork crisps, rinse the rice in a fine-mesh strainer until the water runs clear. Bring the rice and water to a boil in a medium saucepan, cover, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let it steam, still covered, for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.1 1/2 cups jasmine rice, 2 cups water
- Run a vegetable peeler down the length of each carrot to make long, thin ribbons. Keep them in the fridge until serving so they stay crunchy.2 medium carrots
- Stir the hoisin sauce, sriracha, grated garlic and rice vinegar together in a small bowl until smooth. Taste and add more sriracha if you like it hotter.1/4 cup hoisin sauce, 1 1/2 tbsp sriracha, 1 small garlic clove, 1 tsp rice vinegar
- Rest the pork for 10 minutes, then turn it skin side down on a board and slice it 1/2 inch thick along the score lines with a serrated knife. Divide the rice among 4 bowls and sprinkle it with the furikake. Add the carrot ribbons and the pork slices, skin side up, and serve the sauce on the side for dipping.2 tbsp nori furikake
Nutrition
Notes
Short on time, pat the skin very dry and chill it uncovered for at least 3 hours; it won't puff quite as evenly. Leftover slices crisp back up in a 400°F oven in about 10 minutes.
You might also like our Honey Mustard Glazed Ham.
made this and the foil ball trick under the low corner actually worked, the whole sheet of skin puffed. my husband ate the crunchy edges off the cutting board before i even got it in the bowls