Anyone who knows me knows my love of the belly. This is the ultimate expression of pork, in my opinion. [caption id="attachment_3266" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="One part crispy crackling, one part juicy, tender meat? Heck yes."] [/caption] How to roast a pork belly:

• Take a slab of pork belly with the rind still attached (available in Chinatowns, everywhere). Often, you'll find they're about 1.5 kg, but any size will work.
• Score the skin in a 1-cm-wide cross-hatch pattern with a very sharp knife. A serrated knife works well, as the skin can be a bit tough to get through, especially if you don't have good knives. Don't cut too deeply – you basically want to just score through the rind and not too deeply into the fat.
• Rub all over with a bit of oil, a handful of Chinese five-spice, a couple of cloves of minced garlic, and some coarse sea salt. The five-spice is purely optional and this dish is actually absolutely out of this world, even with no seasonings at all.
• Place on a rack in a large roasting pan. Pour about 1 cup of water in the bottom of the roasting pan — just enough to cover the pan, but not enough to touch the roast. This is to prevent the stuff that drips off from burning to the bottom of the pan and smoking you out.
• Roast in a slow oven (about 275° to 300°F/130 to 150°C) for about 2 to 2-1/2 hours, adding more water to pan if it gets dry.

You know it's ready when the rind is translucent and brittle and the fat is golden, crispy and completely puffed up. If your belly meets this description, then you'll have the most tender, succulent meat, with a nice crisp crackling, topped with a shiny-as-glass, crunchy skin. **Oven temperatures vary, so if the pork doesn't look like that yet, don't freak out – just turn up the temperature to 400°F (200°C) and flash-roast for an additional 1/2 hour, or until it's done. Let it stand for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing— if you can keep your hands off it, that is. If you want a dipping sauce, mix equal parts Chinese red or black rice vinegar and soy sauce and a few slices of green onion. [caption id="attachment_3267" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="This dip also works great with pot-stickers or steamed dumplings."] [/caption] Or, really, you can eat it just on its own, because it's that good. Then call me and thank me. Then go slap your mama. Unless your mama makes stuff like this already. In which case, give her a foot massage. Have you made pork belly at home?