Vietnamese dishesRoasted DishesNationwide50 minutes cooking + overnight in the fridge
Thit heo quay is loved for crackling that pops under the tooth, with meat underneath that stays soft and juicy. The hard part is the skin, which tends to cook unevenly, blistered in one place and leathery in another.
Everything turns on how the skin is handled: prick it thoroughly all over with a fork, brush on a salt and vinegar mix twice, then leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight until the surface is completely dry. The meat is wrapped in foil so it does not lose moisture.
This batch weighs about 2.1kg, at roughly 496 calories per 100g.
Method
Rub the pork belly with salt to clear the smell, then rinse.
Bring a pot of water with 1 tablespoon vinegar to a boil, blanch the pork for 5 minutes to firm the skin, lift out, rinse and drain.
Score the meat shallowly, without cutting through the piece.
Mix the marinade: 2 teaspoons minced garlic, 1 teaspoon five spice powder, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 cube of chao (10g), 1/2 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1 tablespoon seasoning powder and 1 tablespoon mai que lo.
Work the marinade into the scored meat, keeping it off the skin.
Prick the skin thoroughly all over with a fork, then wipe it with paper.
Mix 1 teaspoon salt with 2 tablespoons vinegar, brush over the skin, leave 5 minutes, wipe dry, then brush a second time.
Wrap the meat in foil with the skin exposed and leave uncovered in the fridge overnight.
Roast at 200C with the foil still on until the skin blisters evenly. Remove the foil and roast for another 20 minutes.
Tips
Wrapping the meat in foil holds the moisture in, so it stays juicy once cooked.
The more holes in the skin and the drier it is wiped, the better the crackling.
Marinade on the skin scorches that spot black and stops it puffing, so wipe off any that lands there straight away.
Let the skin dry overnight in the fridge, and leave its surface uncovered.
Rest the pork for 10 minutes out of the oven before chopping, so the juices stay in.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.