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Traditional Cantonese Crispy Roast pork belly - Siu Yuk, 脆皮烧肉.

Ingredients
  

  • 2 large Fermented Red Beancurd (I have matchbox sized pieces)
  • 1 bulb Minced Garlic (I love the taste of garlic)
  • 2 tsp Five spice Powder (more if you wish)
  • Freshly ground Sarawak Pepper
  • Half cup Rose Wine/Rice wine
  • Pinch of sugar (optional)
  • Plain vinegar for halfway brushing.
  • Boiled water for roasting tray
  • salt

Instructions
 

Prepare the slab of Pork Belly

  • Rinse the pork belly with a few kettle of hot water. When doing so scrap the skin with a knife to remove all the impurities. See pic.
  • Dry the pork belly and then use your poker and poke the belly skin as long as you can bear. I did this for at least 30 minutes. (The longer the better)
  • Next you salt the pork belly all over with salt and leave it for 3 to 4 hours. This is to draws out the moisture so the skin will be crispy and it will stays crispy for 2 days.

Prepare the marinate

  • Mince the garlic, add in the fermented red beancurd, pepper, wine, five spice powder and mix everything well.

Marinate the Pork Belly

  • Give the pork belly another rinse with hot water and dry the skin. flip over the pork belly onto a clean cloth then marinate the meat side only. Do not marinate the skin.
  • Let the marinate sit for at least 2 hours (overnight better) before turning it over and dry the skin in the sun for 2 or more hours. (again overnight is better)

Roasting

  • Place the pork belly on top of a rake with water to catch the oil dripping when roasting. This is will not only keep your pork belly moist all through roasting but will stop your oven from smoking.
  • Roast in 200C oven until the bones stick out about 1.5 hour to 2 hours.
  • After 2 hours replenish the water from boiled hot water and put the temperature higher to 230C for another 30 minutes.

Notes

Remember the roasting time will depend on the size of your piece of pork belly and your taste. Adjust to your taste slowly as you roast each piece/time. This is a scant 6kg piece as I wanted the roast pork for another dish
I did not use soy sauce and I have never used or oyster sauce as I know my pork belly would be just salty enough for my taste. Adjusting the salt depends on how long you kept it salted during the salting time. The longer you salt, the less salt you use at the roasting time etc.