How to Cook Roasted Pork Belly With Crispy Crackling

This easy practically fool proof method of cooking pork belly makes the meat juicy while making the skin very crispy.

Step 1: Salt the Pork

Cover a two pound / one kilo piece skin on pork belly in 75 grams / 2.6 oz (6 Tablespoons / 90 ml) of lightly crushed salt. Coarse salt is good but lightly crushing it first gives more contact with the skin.

Step 2: Insert the Probe

Insert the probe in the thickest port of the belly.

Step 3: Add Water to Tray

In the bottom rack add water to a baking tray or cookie sheet.

Step 4: Put Pork Into the Oven

On a higher rack (just above the middle of the oven) add a the pork belly. I used a wire rack for better air circulation. Cook at 350F / 175C until desired tempature is achieved. In this case I cooked to 165F / 74C .

Step 5: Remove From Oven

Remove from the oven. Notice how much the pork has shrunk! Go ahead and turn the oven up to 475F / 250C.

Step 6: Ready to Go Back Into the Oven

Remove the salt from the skin and remove the probe. It's no longer needed, but you could leave it in to see what the final internal temp is. Place the pork back into the oven until the skin gets to you desired crispness (this took 20 minutes). If its gets a little black around the edges do not worry. Use a knife to scrape off the black part.