Filipino Crispy Fried Pork Belly with Spiced Vinegar Dip

What you need

• 1 kg (2 lb) pork belly, skin on, in one slab
• 1 onion, halved
• 6 garlic cloves, 5 crushed for the pot, 1 minced for the dip
• 4 dried bay leaves
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns
• 3 tbsp coarse salt, 2 tbsp for boiling, 1 tbsp for rubbing
• 1.5 l (6 cups) vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) white vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 red chilli, thinly sliced

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Put the pork belly in a large pot with the onion, 5 crushed garlic cloves, bay leaves, peppercorns and 2 tbsp of the salt. Add cold water to cover by 3 cm.

2. 2

   Bring to a boil and skim off the foam. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until a knife slides into the meat with little resistance, 50-60 min. The pork is then cooked well past 63 °C (145 °F) inside.

3. 3

   Lift the pork out, drain and pat very dry with paper towels. Prick the skin all over with a fork, about 1 cm apart.

4. 4

   Rub the remaining 1 tbsp salt into the skin.

5. 5

   Set the pork skin side up on a rack, uncovered, in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight, until the skin looks dry, hard and matte.

6. 6

   Mix the vinegar, soy sauce, 1 minced garlic clove and the chilli in a small bowl for the dip.

7. 7

   Cut the pork into 3 even pieces and pat the skin dry again.

8. 8

   Pour the oil into a deep, heavy pot so it is no more than half full. Heat to 175 °C (350 °F).

9. 9

   Lower the pork in skin side down with tongs, standing back, and cover with a splatter screen. The oil will spit hard.

10. 10

    Fry for 8-10 min until the skin blisters and turns golden. Turn the pork and fry 5-8 min more, until crisp all over.

11. 11

    Drain on a rack and rest for 5 min so the crackling sets.

12. 12

    Chop into 2 cm slices with a heavy knife and serve hot with the dip.

Imported from panlasangpinoy.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.