Five Spice Crispy Pork Belly

Dinner | Chinese

Prep time: 24 min Cook time: 1 min Servings: 4

There’s nothing quite like homemade crispy pork belly, and this five spice version is a favourite of mine.

Five spice crispy pork belly is a Chinese-style roast where the goal is a fully blistered, crackled skin over tender, spiced meat. The technique runs in three stages. First, parboiling briefly softens the skin so it can be pierced all over with a toothpick or tenderiser, which is what allows the steam to escape during roasting and the skin to puff and blister rather than stay flat and tough. Second, the pork dries uncovered in the fridge overnight, which draws out any remaining moisture from the skin. Third, the pork roasts first at a lower temperature to cook the meat through, then finishes at high heat to blister the skin into crackling.

The five spice marinade goes on the flesh side only, rubbed into deep score marks to carry flavour through the meat. The Shaoxing wine is applied first and soaks into the cuts, adding a mild fermented depth that complements the spice blend. The skin stays dry throughout the marinating and is only dressed with oil and salt just before the oven. After the cook, the pork needs at least 30 minutes to rest before slicing so the structure holds along the scored lines.

Ingredient Notes

Chinese five spice: A ground blend of star anise, cloves, Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, and fennel seeds. The combination gives a warm, anise-forward flavour with a subtle heat. It’s widely available in supermarkets. The quantities in this recipe are deliberately restrained so the spice flavour is present in the meat without overwhelming the natural richness of the pork belly.

Shaoxing wine: A Chinese rice wine with a mild, slightly nutty flavour that penetrates the meat and adds depth without tasting obviously alcoholic in the finished dish. It’s available in Asian grocery stores and most major supermarkets. If you can’t find it, dry sherry is the closest substitute in terms of flavour profile.

Pork belly: Ask your butcher for a centre-cut piece with an even thickness across the whole slab. Uneven thickness means the thinner end overcooks while the thicker end is still rendering. Skin-on is essential for this recipe. A piece around 1.5kg will fit a standard baking tray and serve four comfortably.

Equipment

Chopping board
Chef’s knife
Wide saucepan (for parboiling)
Large bowl of iced water
Toothpick or meat tenderiser
Paper towel
Wire rack and deep-sided baking tray
Small bowl (for spice mix)

Ingredients

1.5kg (3 lb) pork belly, skin on
3 tsp Shaoxing wine
½ tsp Chinese 5 spice
½ tsp garlic powder
2 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp caster sugar
¼ tsp ground white pepper
olive oil
sea salt, extra
250ml water
steamed rice and Asian greens, black vinegar and soy dipping sauce, to serve

Directions

Parboil the pork
Place enough water in a wide saucepan to submerge pork and place over medium-high heat.
Bring to a boil, then add the pork, skin side down, and cook for 1 minute, until the skin changes colour.
Carefully turn pork over and cook for a further 30 seconds. Transfer to a large bowl of iced water, and use a sharp knife to scrape off any debris on the surface.
Pat pork dry with a paper towel, then place skin side up on a wire rack over a tray.
Score and marinate the pork
Pierce the skin with a toothpick or meat tenderiser until you have made holes all over the skin. Sprinkle over some of the sea salt and rub into the skin.
Turn pork over and score the flesh with deep cuts crossways and vertically to make squares. Make sure not to cut through the skin.
Sprinkle the shaoxing all over the flesh side of the pork.
Combine 5 spice, garlic powder, salt, sugar and pepper in a small bowl, then rub this into the meat and down into the slits.
Turn it over so the skin is facing up and then transfer to the fridge overnight to dry out.
Cook and serve
Preheat the oven to 190°C fan forced (375°F).
Remove the pork from the fridge and rub the skin with a drizzle of oil and an even layer of extra sea salt.
Add 250ml of water to the bottom of the tray and place in the oven. Reduce oven temperature to 170°C (340°F). Cook for 1 hour.
Increase oven temperature to 200°C (395°F), bake a further 30 mins until skin is crispy. Rest for at least 30 mins.
Slice the pork up using the scored marks and serve with steamed rice, steamed Asian greens and a dipping sauce of soy and black vinegar.

Recipe notes

Chef Tips

Don’t skip the parboil

The parboil is the step that makes crackling possible. It briefly softens the skin so you can pierce it all over with a toothpick, and it lets you scrape off any debris or fine hairs from the surface. Without this step the skin will be too tough to pierce properly, and you’ll end up with patches that puff and patches that don’t. One minute skin side down, 30 seconds flipped, then straight into iced water to stop the cook.

Let the skin dry out completely

Overnight uncovered in the fridge is what removes the surface moisture from the skin. Any residual moisture on the skin will steam rather than blister when it hits the oven. Before it goes in, pat it dry one more time with a paper towel, then rub with oil and a generous, even layer of sea salt. The salt draws out any final moisture and helps form the crackle.

Add water to the tray

The 250ml of water in the bottom of the tray serves two purposes. It prevents the rendered pork fat from sitting on the hot tray and burning, which would smoke out your oven and add a bitter note to the drippings. It also introduces some steam into the early part of the cook, which helps keep the meat moist while the fat renders at 170°C before the high heat finish.

Storage

This is best eaten on the day it’s cooked while the skin is at its crispiest. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in a very hot oven at 220°C or in an air fryer to bring some of the crunch back. Microwaving will soften the skin and is not recommended.

FAQs

Can I prep this ahead of time? Yes. The parboiling, scoring, marinating, and overnight drying steps can all be done the day before. On the day of serving, all that’s left is the oven cook. This is actually the intended workflow since the pork needs to dry uncovered in the fridge overnight anyway.

What can I substitute for Shaoxing wine? Dry sherry is the closest substitute and works well here. In a pinch, a small amount of rice wine vinegar diluted with water can be used, though the flavour won’t be quite as rounded. Avoid using sweet sherry or cooking wine with added salt, as both will affect the balance of the marinade.

Is this recipe gluten free? Yes, as written. Shaoxing wine does contain a small amount of wheat in some brands, so check the label if you’re cooking for someone with a gluten intolerance. Also check that your soy dipping sauce is gluten free, as standard soy sauce contains wheat. Tamari is a good gluten free substitute.