Crispy Pork Belly Recipe (Siu Yuk) (2024)

Last Modified: by Elaine| 111 Comments

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The ultimate guide to perfectly done Cantonese crispy pork belly with oven at home. Crispy pork belly is one of my favorite Cantonese dishes for the years in Guangdong province. Each time when I have a chance to enjoy Guangdong cuisine, this crispy pork belly is one of my choices.

Crispy Pork Belly Recipe (Siu Yuk) (1)

After I learn how to make crispy pork belly from a Cantonese friends at home several years ago. I am always trying to find ways and information for a better result and trying to understand how every step works. And this is my ultimate guide.

Crispy Pork Belly Recipe (Siu Yuk) (2)

Cook’s Note

This is the most simplified version for home cooking. I will introduce some extra steps if you want to bring this to the next level.

1.Choose the right part of pork| you should use pork belly to make crispy pork belly.

2.Poke as many holes as possible on the rind. The fat oil produced in the roasting process need ways to come out. Why we need oil coming through the holes? Because hot oil brings hot temperature, which can keep the rind something like gently deep-fried for a quite long time.

3.Applying baking soda or white vinegar can help to soften the skin and thus making the crispy pork belly even fluffy. But the remaining flavor of baking soda may bring some bitter taste to the skin. So the best solution is to set the pork for 30 minutes and then wash the skin before air-drying. I did not include this step in this recipe since it is not quite necessary for me.

4.The salt layer can help to absorb water and keep the skin dry.Cover a layer of sea salt on the surface can help to absorb the water released in the early of the roasting and keep the rind dry.

5.Marinating the pork belly for a longer time, at least overnight. We are roasting a large piece. During the marinating time, do not cover the pork belly with plastic wrapper. Place it in a large bowl and let it dry in the fridge.

Crispy Pork Belly Recipe (Siu Yuk) (3)

You will need

  • 1000g pork belly with beautiful layers
  • 2 small chunks of ginger
  • 2 scallions
  • 1 tbsp. cooking wine
  • 6-10 Sichuan peppercorns (optional)

Marinating

  • 1 and ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tsp. Chinese five spice
  • ½ tsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. white pepper

Roasting

  • sea salt to cover the meat
  • white vinegar for brushing

Instructions

Place the pork belly in a large pot (rind site down) with clean water, add cooking wine, scallion, ginger and sichuan peppercorn. Continue cook for 3 minutes after boiling.

Crispy Pork Belly Recipe (Siu Yuk) (4)

Transfer the pork out and pat dry the water. Then pork as many as possible holes on the rind. Back and forth and repeat several times. This is the most important step. After the hard pork process, apply a small pinch of salt on the rind.

Crispy Pork Belly Recipe (Siu Yuk) (5)

Cut two shallow lines on the pork (only the lean part, not deep to touch the fat) and then sprinkle the dry rub evenly.

Crispy Pork Belly Recipe (Siu Yuk) (6)

Wrap the pork belly with foil wrappers and place in fridge overnight.Uncovered please, we need the rind to be dry before roasting.

Crispy Pork Belly Recipe (Siu Yuk) (7)

Pre-heat oven to 180 degree C. Brush a thin layer of vinegar and spread salt evenly to form a protecting layer. Roast for 50 minutes.

Crispy Pork Belly Recipe (Siu Yuk) (8)

Remove the salt and place the pork belly on the middle rack. Remember to use a tray to catch the dropping oils. Turn your oven to upper fire mode and turn up the temperature to 220 degree C.

Crispy Pork Belly Recipe (Siu Yuk) (9)

Continue roasting for 20 to 25 minutes until the skin is well crackled. Let the pork belly stay in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes until slightly cooled down. Transfer out and cut into small bites.
Cutting tips: place the skin side down. Cut the meat part firstly and then press the knife to break the crispy rinds.

Crispy Pork Belly Recipe (Siu Yuk) (10)

How to serve

You can serve this with sugar, mustard sauce or Thai sweet and chili sauce. But not too many cubes each time. I would suggest 2 cubes for each individual. I make three strips this time and serve only 1 strip one meal. We have very similar dish in Western China, where the pork belly rind is deep-fried for crackling. Mixed chili peppers are used to remove the oily.

Other pork belly recipes

  1. Pork belly can be used in stir-fry recipes: twice cooked pork belly
  2. Pork belly can be roasted: Roasted pork belly with honey
  3. Pork belly can be red braised: red-braised pork belly.

Crispy Pork Belly Recipe (Siu Yuk) (11)

Crispy Pork Belly (Siu Yuk)

Crispy pork belly is one of my favorite Cantonese dishes for the years in Guangdong province.

5 from 24 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: Crispy, Pork Belly

Prep Time: 12 hours hours

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 13 hours hours

Servings: 4

Calories: 5268kcal

Author: Elaine

Ingredients

  • 1000 g pork belly with beautiful layers
  • 2 small chunks of ginger
  • 2 scallions
  • 1 tbsp. cooking wine
  • 6-10 Sichuan peppercorns ,optional

Marinating

  • 1.5 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. Chinese five spice
  • ½ tsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. white pepper

Roasting

  • sea salt to cover the meat
  • white vinegar for brushing

Instructions

  • Place the pork belly in a large pot with clean water, add cooking wine, scallion, ginger and sichuan peppercorn. Continue cook for 3 minutes after boiling.

  • Transfer the pork out and pat dry the water. Then pork as many holes on the rind. Back and forth and repeat several times. This is the most important step.

  • After the hard pork process, apply a small pinch of salt on the rind.

  • Cut two shallow lines on the pork (only the lean part, not deep to touch the fat) and then sprinkle the dry rub evenly.

  • Wrap the pork belly with foil wrappers and place in fridge overnight.Uncovered please, we need the rind to be dry before roasting.

  • Pre-heat oven to 180 degree C. Brush a thin layer of vinegar and spread salt evenly to form a protecting layer. Roast for 50 minutes to 1 hour.

  • Remove the salt and place the pork belly on the middle rack. Remember to use a tray to catch the dropping oils. Use upper fire only at the temperature of 220 degree C, and roast until the rind is golden brown and well crackled.

  • Let the pork belly stay in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes until slightly cooled down. Transfer out and cut into small bites.

  • Cutting tips: when cutting the pork belly, place the skin side down. Cut the meat part firstly and then press the knife to break the crispy rinds.

Nutrition

Calories: 5268kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 96g | Fat: 531g | Saturated Fat: 193g | Cholesterol: 720mg | Sodium: 3193mg | Potassium: 2116mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 340IU | Vitamin C: 10.6mg | Calcium: 144mg | Iron: 9.9mg

Crispy Pork Belly Recipe (Siu Yuk) (12)

More pork

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  • Lion’s Head Meatballs
  • Pork Floss - Meat Floss

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Larry

    Crispy Pork Belly Recipe (Siu Yuk) (17)
    I know how good it is, that's really a large batch.

    Trial and error, is the way to learn.

    Reply

  2. Leo

    Crispy Pork Belly Recipe (Siu Yuk) (18)
    Great!

    Reply

  3. Joseph Thambiah

    What about the marination? You did not mention. Is it after the boiling? Pat dry & apply marinade and then foil wrap in the fridge?

    Reply

    • Elaine

      Hi, Joseph
      The marinating mixture is sprinkled on the surface when serving at the end

      Reply

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Crispy Pork Belly Recipe (Siu Yuk) (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between char siu and siu yuk? ›

Char siu is barbecued roast pork, whereas siu yuk is roasted crispy pork belly. Not only do they use different parts of the pig — my dad likes to use pork butt for char siu and pork belly for siu yuk — but they're also prepared differently and have varying flavor profiles and textures.

Why won t my pork belly get crispy? ›

The skin wasn't dry enough. Make sure to pat the pork completely dry before rubbing in the salt and oil as excess moisture will stop it from crisping up. It's important to score the skin if you want it really crisp. You'll need a sharp knife for this, or ask your butcher to do it for you.

Is char siu the same as pork belly? ›

Succulent pork belly marinated in a sweet and sticky Malaysian-style sauce, then grilled or roasted to perfection for a delicious and flavorful meal.

Why put baking soda on pork belly? ›

It is a fact of life that dry skin crisps better than moist skin. Scotese's trick to crispy pork belly is to rub equal parts baking soda and salt into the skin—the combo of baking soda and salt will draw out moisture and set you up for success.

Is hoisin sauce the same as char siu sauce? ›

Is char siu sauce the same as hoisin sauce? While hoisin sauce is dark, thick, sweet, tangy and spicy like American BBQ sauce, it's not the same as Char Siu. Hoisin sauce can actually be overpowering which is why it's usually used as an ingredient in Char Siu to add flavor but not alone.

What is siu yuk in english? ›

Siu yuk (Chinese: 燒肉; pinyin: shāo ròu; Cantonese Yale: sīu yuhk; lit. 'roast meat') is a variety of siu mei, or roasted meat dishes, in Cantonese cuisine.

Is it better to boil pork belly before roasting? ›

Prick and Parboil the Meat

This step helps tenderize the liempo and causes the fat to render once cooked. Your next crucial task is to parboil the meat. This process softens the pork, infuses it with flavor, and speeds up the overall cooking time. Some prefer to boil their belly in plain water.

Does pork belly get more tender the longer you cook it? ›

Pork belly can be cooked in many different ways, but here are a few methods to help make it tender: Slow Cooking: Slow cooking is one of the best methods to make pork belly tender. You can slow cook it in a slow cooker or oven at a low temperature for several hours until it's fully cooked and tender.

How to get extra crispy crackling on pork? ›

Preheat oven to 230°C, 210°C fan or Gas Mark 8. Put the joint in a roasting tin on the top shelf for 20 minutes. This sudden blast of heat is the key to crispy crackling. Reduce the temperature to 180-190°C, 160-170°C fan or Gas Mark 4-5 and follow the cooking times below to ensure the joint is cooked through.

What is the red coating on Chinese pork? ›

4. Red food colouring – to make the pork red, like you get at the Chinese barbecue shop. This is optional. Authentic Char Siu uses red bean curd for colouring and a touch of flavour – it can be found at Asian stores, use about 2 tbsp of the liquid and no red food colouring.

Why does Chinese pork look red? ›

The red hue on the pork comes from the sticky, crave-able barbecue sauce in which it's marinaded before roasting. Often, this deep crimson hue comes from a combination of Hoisin sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, and fermented red bean curd (aka fermented tofu, bean cheese, or tofu cheese).

Why do you put vinegar on pork belly? ›

White Vinegar helps dry out the skin – but it has a secondary purpose of removing the odour! If you are prepared, place the Pork in the Fridge UNCOVERED overnight – the skin will dry out. When you pre-heat your oven, remove the pork from the fridge and let it return to room temperature.

Do you rinse pork belly before cooking? ›

Washing beef, pork, lamb, or veal before cooking it is not recommended. Bacteria in raw meat and poultry juices can be spread to other foods, utensils, and surfaces. We call this cross-contamination. Some consumers think they are removing bacteria and making their meat or poultry safe.

What is the difference between Chinese and Japanese char siu? ›

Chinese Cha siu is cooked in an oven, but Japanese style is cooked in liquid. Maybe, this is because ovens aren't traditional kitchen equipment in japan. Maybe there is a different name of this dish in China, but this is what we call Chashu in Japan like you see it on Ramen shops.

What is another word for char siu? ›

Char siu
A rack of cha siu pork
Alternative nameschasu, char siu, chashao, cha sio, char siew (Cantonese), xá xíu (Vietnamese)
Place of originGuangdong, China
Region or stateGreater China, Japan and Singapore (and general Sinophone areas in Southeast Asia and beyond)
2 more rows

Is char siu Chinese or Japanese? ›

One of the most famous Chinese meat preparations, char siu is Cantonese barbecue pork. Naturally, that makes it especially popular in the Cantonese parts of southern China, as well as popular in local adaptations throughout much of Southeast Asia.

What is the difference between Lechon and Siu Yuk? ›

If you are from East Asia, you might be familiar with these dish as they are made from PIGS. The Siu Yok is from Chinese and Lechon is a Filipino dish. They both look the same and the texture are crunchy and crispy too so I don't see any difference between the both.

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