pork belly cooked in the BBQ with crunchy crunchy crackling

A favourite hobby of mine is converting traditional oven cooked recipes over to the barbecue. In the past I have baked brownies, cooked damper and now roasted pork belly with crispy crunchy crackling. In most cases the theory is the same, its the method that changes. Cooking temperatures stay the same however its the fuel and the ability to add a little smoke to the food that sets barbecue apart from the old oven. And nothing beats cooking outdoors either.

The key to achieving great, crunchy crackling is scoring the skin, rubbing in a generous amount of salt and then letting the skin dry out uncovered in the fridge for 24 hours. The skin should harden to the point where you can almost knock on it with your knuckles. It’s then a matter of hitting the belly with high heat for the first 20 minutes and then slow cooking it for the remainder.

The time it takes for the skin to crackle will vary due to a number of factors including the amount of moisture in the skin and preparation of so there is no exact time for the crackling process. 20 minutes is usually enough.

ingredients

• pork belly, approx. 1kg
• kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tsp 5 spice powder
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• olive oil

directions

1. Score the flesh side (or underside) of the belly at 3cm intervals and at 1 cm deep.
2. Combine the 5 spice powder and sesame oil and rub over the flesh and into the cuts.
3. Flip the belly over so the skin is facing up and score the skin. The score pattern is up to you. We simply scored at 1cm longitudinal intervals. If you don’t have a sharp knife at home then ask your butcher to do it for you.
4. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of the salt over the skin or enough so the skin is covered.
5. Put the belly on a wire rack and place inside a large oven roasting tray lined with baking paper. Leave in the fridge uncovered overnight or preferably 24 hours.
6. The next day fire up your barbecue. If you have a charcoal BBQ like a Weber Kettle then fill both charcoal baskets with lit coals with all vents completely open. If you have a gas burner BBQ then turn the outside burners to high. For either method you want to place the belly in the middle of the BBQ, away from the direct heat. Aim for 460f/240c.*
7. Rub a small amount of oil over skin and into the barbecue.
8. After 15 minutes check the crackling. By now the skin should just about be crackled all over. If not, give it another 5 minutes or so.
9. Once the crackle has almost completely formed turn down the heat to low, around the 320f/160c mark. If you have a Weber Kettle shut down the bottom vents to about 75% closed.
10. The beauty of pork belly as opposed to pork loin is that you can cook it further without risk of it drying out. Pork belly burnt ends are typically cooked through to 195f/90c before being sauced and returned to the cooker. I typically aim for the 190f/88c mark for this method. The main aim is to have the thick layer of fat between the flesh and skin to be rendered, soft and not chewy.
11. Allow to rest uncovered for 10 minutes before slicing.
12. Enjoy your crunchy and juicy barbecue pork belly!

We served ours with an Asian style coleslaw.

*A handy trick I learnt from a work colleague of mine is to drape the belly over a rib rack which is dome shaped. This allows any liquid that rises out of the skin to run off and not pool thus not hindering the crackling process.

For our oven roasted pork belly recipe click here.