Chinese Crispy Pork Belly

Ingredients

1 pork belly, skin on (800 - 1.2kg  1 1/2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine)  1 tsp Chinese five spice powder 1 tsp white pepper 1/2 tsp salt 1 tbsp white vinegar (helps conduct heat evenly) 200 g / 7 oz rock salt

Instructions

PREPARE :
Use Pork Crisping tool to prick tons and tons of holes in the skin. Avoid piercing into the fat as best you can, and really ensure you do not pierce the flesh.
Turn the pork belly upside down. Rub the flesh (not skin) with Chinese cooking wine, dribbling it on gradually. Sprinkle over five spice powder, salt and pepper. Rub all over flesh, including sides (not on skin).
Turn skin side up and place in a container. Dab skin dry with paper towels. Refrigerate uncovered for 12 hours (max 24 hrs, min 3 hrs).

COOK:
Preheat oven to 180C.
Remove pork from fridge. Place onto a large sheet of foil. Fold up sides of foil around the pork to enclose it snugly with a 1.5cm rim above the pork skin (to hold salt in).
Transfer pork to baking tray. Dab skin with paper towels.
Brush skin with vinegar.
Spread rock salt on the skin (the foil edges will stop it from falling down the sides).
Roast for 60 minutes.
Remove pork from oven and transfer onto work surface.
Switch to grill on medium high. Move shelf so it is at least 25cm from the heat source.
Fold down foil and scrape all the salt off the top and sides. Return pork only (i.e. discard foil) to baking tray.
Place under grill for 20 - 25 minutes, rotating tray once, until skin is golden, crispy and puffed. 

SERVE:
Remove pork onto cutting board. Slice into 1 - 1.5cm thick slices, then into smaller slices.
Sometimes it is served with white sugar on the side too. Add some fresh raw vegetables (I use cucumber and radish).