Boil 100-200ml of water, 1 tsp of vinegar, and ½ tsp of salt in a saucepan to blanch the pork skin. When the water boils, place the pork skin in and blanch for about 2-3 minutes. Ensure that the water only covers the pork skin, not the meat. If there is too much water, pour some out (as shown in the picture below).

After blanching, turn the skin side up. Use a bunch of toothpicks or a fork to prick the pork skin, then pat it dry. Repeat these steps 2-3 times until the skin is evenly pricked and completely dry.

Prepare a tray, mix 1 tsp of salt and 1 tbsp of vinegar to soak the pork skin for 5-10 minutes. Then, pat it dry again. Remember to always keep the skin dry because this is the key to crispy pork skin.

Mix salt, soy sauce, five-spice powder, and pepper together until all combined into a dark brown mixture.

Make some cuts on the pork belly in order to let the condiment absorb better, as well as to cut the meat more easily once done. Wear gloves and massage the meat with the condiment mixture you have prepared.

After marinating, wrap your pork belly in foil by lying the pork belly on a cutting board with the skin underneath and place a large piece of foil on top. Wrap the foil around the meat tightly and carefully fold the edges inward to avoid hand cutting. Then, flip the pork belly and pat dry the skin one more time.

Air-dry the pork skin with a fan for 1 hour or refrigerate for 3 hours to overnight. The purpose of this step is to let the pork skin dry as much as possible. If you want to save time waiting for the skin to dry, you can try using baking powder. Mix ½ tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp salt, 1 ½ tsp 5% vinegar (or 1 tsp 7% vinegar) together. Apply this mixture once and wait for 20 minutes to let it dry, then apply again and wait for 10 minutes. Pat it dry and prick it the last time.

Air-dry with a fan or dry at 100oC (212 oF) in the oven for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Once the pork skin is dry, apply a thin layer of oil on the skin. If possible, you should wrap the edges with foil to prevent it from being burnt too much, then put it in the oven. Bake at 180oC for 45 minutes, top heat only. If the skin has not exploded evenly, bake the second time at 230oC for 30 minutes with both top and bottom heat.

Remove the pork belly from the oven and let it cool down a bit. Then, gently cut it into bite-size pieces to enjoy. The dipping sauce can be simply soy sauce, fish sauce, ketchup, or chili sauce.