Crispy Pork Belly Roll

We didn't have ham for our 2011 Christmas dinner; we had roasted pork belly roll with its glistening golden crispy skin. I changed our usual Christmas menu when I saw JMom's crispy skin pork shoulder and I adapted her recipe together with the one from Serious Eats. Slow roasting made the meat juicy and tender and the high heat during the last 40 minutes made the skin crispylicious. This pork roll is finger-lickin' good and doesn't need any sauce.

Crispy Pork Belly Roll

8 to 10 pounds whole pork belly, skin on

2½ tablespoons sea salt, divided

1 tablespoon finely minced garlic

1 teaspoon cracked black red peppercorns

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon baking powder

12 pieces foot-long kitchen twine

• Place cut kitchen twine on a large baking sheet 1 inch apart. 
• Wash and dry belly thoroughly with paper towels. Score the meat side half an inch deep in a crisscross pattern 1 inch apart. Mix 1¼ tablespoons salt, minced garlic, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and rosemary, and rub the meat side all over. Form into a roll and place on top of the twine. Tie the roll beginning from the outside. Mix the remaining salt and baking powder; rub all over the skin. Leave in refrigerator uncovered for 1 up to 3 days to dry out the skin. 
• On the day of roasting, preheat oven to 400° F. Place pork roll on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 10 minutes; lower heat to 300° F and roast for 2 hours and 15 minutes. Increase heat to 500° F and roast for another 40 minutes. 
• Remove from oven, tent with foil, and let the pork roll rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

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Kulinarya was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney who are passionate about the Filipino culture and its colorful cuisine. 

Each month we will showcase a new dish along with their family recipes. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino Food as we do.

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Check out more Christmas food from Kulinarya Cooking Club members.