Crispy pork belly with hoisin glaze

Read the full method and weigh the listed ingredients. Prepare the meat and vegetables as described in the ingredient list, keeping sauce, starch, garnish and working ingredients separate. Clean hands, boards and utensils after handling raw meat.

Pat pork very dry. Rub five-spice and some salt into the flesh only. Set skin-up on a level rack over a roasting tray, propping underneath with foil if needed. Rub skin with oil and the remaining salt. Optional overnight refrigerated drying adds time outside this default plan.

Heat the oven to 140°C fan / 160°C conventional.

Allow about 15 minutes in total, checking the oven has reached its setting.

Check the oven setting and carefully put the prepared dish into the hot oven.

Roast at 140°C fan / 160°C conventional for 2–2½ hours until the meat yields easily to a skewer.

Raise the oven to 220°C fan / 240°C conventional. Keep pork skin-up.

Roast for 25–35 minutes until skin blisters. Watch near the end and shield dark patches with foil if needed.

Check the stated readiness cue using a probe for cooked meat where specified. Carefully take the dish out and set it on a heatproof surface.

Rest uncovered for 15 minutes to preserve the crackling.

Simmer hoisin, soy, rice vinegar and glaze water together for 2–3 minutes until glossy.

Slice pork with crackling facing down on the board. Spoon glaze beside or beneath the meat to keep the crackling dry.