Babi Guling - Crispy Balinese Roast Pork

Honestly when I saw this post Babi Guling - Balinese Roast Pork of Doris, Sumptuous Flavours, I don't know what it is.  To me roast pork [siew yoke] is only the one that is seasoned with salt, pepper and 5 Spice powder.  This Babi Guling caught my attention cos' of the spice ingredients used as marinade. Curiosity waits for no man.  Must make it soon.  Here is my Balinese Roast Pork, something very different from the Chinese Roasted Pork [Crispy Roast Pork/Siew Yoke] and Cebu Lechon.

If you want crispy roast pork with more flavours, then you can try this.  I love the crackling sound of the skin as I was cutting the meat.  Really crispy and it stays crispy for the whole day.  How it was the next day, I can't tell cos' it was finished by dinner time.

Recipe Source - Sumptuous Flavours - Babi Guling - Balinese Roast Pork with some modifications [for the original recipe, please visit Doris's blog]

Ingredients
1.2 kg pork belly
Ingredients for Spice Paste Marinade - Blend together
2 stalks lemongrass - use white part only - sliced
2 candlenuts [buah keras] - crushed
3 shallots - peeled and sliced
3 pips garlic - peeled and sliced
2 cm piece ginger
3 small chillies
1 cm piece galangal
2-3 kaffir lime leaves
1/2 tbsp belacan
Other ingredients - add to blended spice paste
1 tsp turmeric powder
2  tsp salt
1/2 tsp each of coriander powder and pepper
1 tsp oil

Preparing the Pork Belly 

1. Wash pork belly.  Boil enough water in wok till boiling.  Blanch pork belly for several minutes.  Remove and rinse to clean.
2. Use a sharp knife to score the meat side, about 2 cm width. 
3. Use a skewer to prick holes all over the skin side of the pork belly.
4. Use the blended spice paste to rub into the meat side of the pork belly.
5. Place the pork belly, meat side down on a tray.  Pad dry the skin side and leave in the refrigerator to marinate overnight and dry out the skin [I left the meat in the fridge for 2 days].  Note: can also rub skin with 1 tsp tumeric powder and 1 tbsp salt.
   
   
   
   
   

Grilling the Pork Belly

1. Preheat oven at 180 degrees C.
2. Place pork belly, skin side up and roast for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and use a sharp skewer to prick holes all over the skin.
3. Turn the meat side up and put back into the oven, roast for 30 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven, turn the skin side up and put back into the oven.
5. Increase oven temperature to 250 degrees C and turn to top heat [grill function].
6. Grill for 20-25 minutes until skin is crispy and charred.
7. Remove, use a serated knife to scrape off the charred skin [to get crispy skin]. 
8. Rest for 10 minutes before cutting to serve, otherwise leave the roasted pork skin side up [the skin will stay crispy for a long time].