Crackling Pork Belly

Just looking at the picture of a crispy pork belly makes me salivate!
A couple of weeks back I made this for a bunch of friends. A plateful did a round and quickly came back empty and now you know why I do not have too many photos of it. I will click more when I make this dish next time.
The crispy crunchy skin crackles as you take your first bite only to reveal the fat that melts in your mouth right below. And then finally you get to taste the savory pork belly meat. It’s crack-a-licking!

Many people who make this dish will probably prepare and marinate it in the fridge overnight. I do not have that kind of patience, not with pork belly at least. Waiting for 3-4 hours with the pork belly in my fridge, yearning to be baked and savored, in itself is torture enough.
Please make sure to use a baking pan instead of a tray as a lot of fat will have accumulated at the end of the baking process. I double line my pan with silver foil for extra precaution and also easy cleaning.
Talking about cleaning, your oven will need extra cleaning after making this dish because a lot of fat will be splattered in the oven when the skin blisters.
Scoring the skin is the tricky part. Score it in such a way that it cuts into the fat but not into the meat. That way, while baking, the fat oozes onto the skin and thats what makes it crispy. If you touch the meat part while scoring the resulting skin will be tough and leathery. The idea is to keep the skin free of moisture. It should be dry dry dry... so remember that.
The marinade part is flexible and that can be changed according to your taste. Just use one of your favourite marinades if you like!

Ingredients:  Pork Belly  750g
For the marinade
1. Crushed garlic 3 cloves
2. Pepper powder  1 small pinch
3. Red Chilly powder 1/2 tsp
4. Nutmeg  a couple of gratings
5. Soy sauce  2 tsp
6. Salt  1 tsp

Method:Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl and set aside.
Blanch the pork belly in a pot of water for about 15 minutes on medium heat or until soft and half cooked.
Remove the pork and when it is cool enough to touch, pat the skin dry with a kitchen towel. Take a sharp knife and score lines across the entire skin about a centimetre apart. Rub a little salt into the scores and on the skin and turn it over. Stab the meat side with a knife a few times and rub the marinade against it making sure that it is well coated.
Please remember, the marinade is only for the meat side and not the skin.
Let it marinate for 3 to 4 hours, although keeping it for a longer time will give a deeper flavour.

Pre-heat the oven to 200*C.
Place the pork skin- side up on a baking pan lined with silver foil. Wipe the skin dry with a kitchen towel and bake it for 30 mins or until you see the skin puffing up and turning into a crackling!
Turn up the heat to 220*C and bake it for another 15 mins to 20 mins or until you get enough crackling.
An ordinary oven needs longer cooking time and the cooking time will also depend on how thick and how big the pork belly is.
Take it out of the oven carefully as there will be a lot of hot fat in the pan. Let it cool to the touch and cut into slices.
This can be had with rice, noodles or just as is with a spicy dip over drinks!
Enjoy!