Roasted Pork Belly with Chili Crisp
Recipe from Santos Loo
This roasted pork belly recipe delivers the perfect combination of juicy meat and golden, crispy crackling that pork belly lovers crave. With the Wonder Oven Pro's roast and broil settings, you can achieve restaurant-quality results with golden, cracker-like skin. Served alongside a spoonful of homemade chili crisp and steamed rice, it's the perfect balance of rich, crispy, spicy, and aromatic flavors.
45 minutes (plus overnight marinating)
1 hour
4 - 6
What You'll Need
Ingredients
For the Spice Rub
3 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Chinese five spice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
For the Pork Belly
2½ lbs pork belly, skin on
2 tablespoons kosher salt (for skin)
2 teaspoons white vinegar
For the Chili Crisp (Makes ~2 cups)
2 cups neutral oil, divided
½ cup very thinly sliced shallots
½ cup very thinly sliced garlic
2 star anise
1 teaspoon whole Sichuan peppercorns
1-inch fresh ginger, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
2 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
¾ cup (60g) Gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
For Serving:
Steamed rice
Directions
Step 1
Make the Spice Rub: In a small bowl, combine all rub ingredients to form a paste. Set aside.
Step 2
Prep the Pork Belly: Fill a shallow pan (at least 1 inch deep) with ½ inch of water and bring to a boil. Place the pork belly, skin side down, in the water and turn off the heat. Let sit for 1 minute to soften the skin.
Step 3
Transfer the pork to a cutting board, skin side down. Without cutting through the skin-fat layer, score four deep cuts to form a tic-tac-toe pattern (9 squares). Rub the spice paste thoroughly into the meat side and between the cuts—avoid the skin.
Step 4
Place the pork belly, skin side up, in the Wonder Oven Pro’s roast pan. Wipe away any spice rub or moisture from the skin.
Step 5
To pierce the skin, bunch 6 toothpicks tightly together and poke the surface evenly (about 1⁄18" deep) to help moisture escape and dry the skin. Sprinkle the skin evenly with 2 tablespoons salt and let sit for 15 minutes at room temp. Scrape off the salt and pat the skin dry with paper towels.
Step 6
Place the pork, uncovered, in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours to marinate and dry out the skin.
Step 7
Roast the Pork Belly: Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Add ¼ cup water to the dish. Preheat the Wonder Oven Pro to 340°F/ROAST. Place the roast pan with the pork belly on the wire rack on the bottom rack. Roast for 40 minutes, until the skin is golden.
Step 8
Wipe off any moisture or oil from the skin. Brush the skin with vinegar. Set the oven to 450°F/BROIL. Once preheated, return the pork to the oven and broil for 10 to 12 minutes, until the skin is blistered, crispy, and golden brown.
Step 9
Remove and let rest skin side up on a rack for 15 minutes. To slice, place skin side down and cut into ½-inch slices through the meat side. Serve with chili crisp and steamed rice.
To Make the Chili Crisp
Step 10
In the Mini Always Pan, heat 1½ cups of oil with shallots over medium. Fry for about 6 minutes, until golden (not browned). Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside to let crisp.
Step 11
Reduce heat to medium-low and add garlic. Fry gently until pale golden, about 2–3 minutes. Remove and set aside to let cool and crisp.
Step 12
Add the remaining ½ cup oil to the pan to lower the temperature. Add star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, ginger, and scallions. Cook gently for 5 minutes to infuse the oil. Strain and discard the solids.
Step 13
In a large heatproof bowl, combine chili flakes, sugar, and salt. Carefully pour the oil over the chili mix and stir. Once slightly cooled, stir in vinegar, then the crispy shallots, garlic, and sesame seeds. Cool fully before storing in an airtight container. Keeps up to 1 month in the fridge.
Santos Loo
Santos Loo is a Peruvian-born chef based in Los Angeles. Starting his culinary journey as senior food stylist for Food Network, he spent a decade providing his culinary expertise to cooking show icons like Emeril Lagasse, Rachel Ray, Bobby Flay, and Guy Fieri. With over 20 years in the food styling and recipe development industry, Santos continues to create food content for top streaming services, print media, and cookware brands.
