Vietnamese Thit Heo Quay - Simple Crispy Crunchy Pork Belly

Eliminate the impurities and odor of the pork skin by using a sharp knife to scrape the pork belly skin. If you see extra hairs, use a tweezer to remove the hair on the skin. Pat the skin completely dry with a paper towel.

In a small bowl or mortar and pestle, combine the salt, five spice, sugar, and garlic. Mix the ingredients together.

Flip the pork with the skin side down on a dry cutting board. Make vertical cuts into the pork belly that are about 1/2 inches deep and 1 inch apart, not cutting into the skin.

Add the seasoning mixture onto the top and sides of the meat, careful not touching the skin with the mixture.

Flip the meat over with the skin facing the ceiling. Using a paper towel, pat the skin surface until it's completely dry.

Place the meat on a dry plate (and even using a rack on top of a dry plate) and place in the refrigerator for at least four hours, uncovered. (Note: Do not wrap the meat in plastic wrap as the goal is to dry out the meat. Wrapping it in plastic wrap will cause moisture to form on the meat.)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.

Remove the marinated pork belly from the refrigerator.

Using a skewer, sharp knife, or meat thermometer, prick holes into the skin without going into the fat layer. If you go into the fat layer, it will cause the fat to release moisture onto the skin, which will cause your skin not to get the crackly, bubbly crispy texture this dish is known for.

Choose a roasting pan that will fit the entirety of the pork belly. Create a rectangular aluminum foil box around the meat, tall enough to hold a layer of salt. Place the aluminum foil box on the roasting pan. Add the pork belly into the aluminum foil box.

Dry the skin once more with a paper towel. Squeeze the lime juice all over the skin, rubbing it in.

Cover the pork skin with a layer of sea salt. This will allow heat and moisture to be trapped underneath the salt crust. It has the added benefit of reducing the pork odor that often permeates into the house with this dish.

Put it in the oven. For three pound pork belly, generally it will roast for about an hour.

After an hour, remove the pork tray from oven. Scrape off the top layer of salt and throw it away along with the aluminum foil.

Line the roasting tray with a new aluminum foil to catch dripping fat in the next step.

On the sam roasting pan, add a rack. Put the pork belly on top of the rack with the roasting tray.

Put the try in the oven at the lowest rack. Switch the oven temperature and heat to broil for another 15 minutes.

The skin should start crackling and evenly create bubbles throughout the skin layer. If you see parts of skin burning or crisping faster than the other, you can add aluminum foil and continue to broil the pork belly until it is uniformly crispy.

The meat is ready when the juices run clear after poking it.

Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes.

Scrape off any burnt parts of the skin.

Cut into bite sized pieces, each with skin and meat.

Serve with Vietnamese nuoc mam sauce.