Nothing beats succulent crispy pork belly.

This recipe is super easy and never fails!

Prep time 10 minutes (overnight for the pork to dry out)
Cooking time 4 1/2 hours

1kg pork belly, try to find a piece with a good layer of fat under the skin, but still with plenty of meat
2 tsp salt
1 large onion, peeled and thickly sliced
2 medium green apples, cored and thickly sliced

Wash the pork well, then pat completely dry with paper towel. Score the skin of the pork, deep enough to get through the layer of fat under the skin, but not into the meat. Run the score lines around 2 cm apart, then again in the opposite direction. Place on a plate in the fridge overnight (uncovered) to dry out.

Preheat the oven to 150°C.

Lay two sheets of aluminium foil (around 10 cm longer than the piece of pork) on top of each other in a baking tray. Place the onion and apple onto the foil.

Rub salt all over the pork then place the pork length-ways (skin side up) on top of the onion and apple mix. Sprinkle more salt over the skin of the pork and press firmly into the surface and cuts.

Gather up the sides of the foil and pinch it in around the pork so that the sides of the pork are covered and the skin is completely exposed. The foil will keep the juices in and stop the pork from drying out.

Place in the oven on a middle shelf – not too high or it will make cleaning your oven a nightmare. Bake for 3 hours. As the pork shrinks try to keep pinching in the foil (carefully as it will be hot).

Turn the oven down to 140°C and bake for another hour.

Finally, turn the oven up to 220°C and bake for a further 25 to 35 minutes, or until the skin has bubbled up and become crispy.

Tip: add Chinese all spice when rubbing the pork with salt, then serve the cooked pork with steamed rice and vegetables stir fried with two tablespoons of Char Sui sauce stirred through once cooked. Add another tablespoon of Char Sui on the side to dip the pork into.