Crispy Pork Belly Recipe (Siu Yuk) (2024)

Last Modified: by Elaine| 109 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 23 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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  • 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

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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.

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 char siu the same as pork belly? ›

Sticky Chinese Barbecue Pork Belly (Char Siu), is one of the most popular pork dishes in Chinese/Cantonese cuisine and one of the most ordered dishes in restaurants.

Is hoisin sauce the same as char siu sauce? ›

No they are not the same. Hoisin sauce is made from fermented soybeans mixed with garlic, chilli, sesame, Chinese spices and vinegar. Char siu sauce is a condiment made from hoisin sauce, sugar, Chinese five spice powder, Chinese cooking wine, soy sauce, garlic and often also food colouring.

How to get the best crackling on pork belly? ›

Hot oven 30 minutes to develop crackling – Crank oven to 240°C/465°F and put pork back in for 30 minutes, observing and rotating as needed to encourage even cooking, until the skin is golden, puffy and super-crispy; Rest 10 minutes – Rest the pork belly for 10 minutes before slicing.

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

The secret to cooking pork belly is the combination of a gentle heat to tenderise the meat and short, high temperature blasts to crisp up the skin on the outside. Typically, recipes call for around 2 hrs at 180C/160C fan/gas 4, then a further 30 mins or so at 200C/180C fan/gas 6.

Why are my pork belly burnt ends chewy? ›

Despite their name, burnt ends aren't burnt at all. Their toothsome, BBQ bark crust gives them a burnt appearance but is chewy and tastes like smoked spices and meat. BBQ bark develops when dry rub, smoke, and meat proteins combine, initiating a chemical reaction that develops the flavorsome “bark”.

Why do you pour boiling water on pork belly? ›

boiling water trick

This helps to prep the skin to crackle as its now "pre-cooked" so to speak. Make sure to pat dry with paper towel to further dry afterwards.

How do Chinese restaurants make pork so tender? ›

In Chinese cooking, proteins like beef, pork or chicken are velveted first before stir-frying them. There are several ways to velvet, but at its most basic level, it involves marinating meat with at least one ingredient that will make it alkaline. This is what tenderizes the meat, especially cheaper, tougher cuts.

Why do you put vinegar on pork belly? ›

We will use white vinegar to soften the skin, then use kosher salt to absorb the moisture. In this way, we can make the pork belly meat juicy, tender, and flavorful, and the crackling crazily crispy.

How do restaurants prepare pork belly? ›

We soak the pork in water for about 20 to 25 minutes to wash away excess fat. Then we steam it for about 15 to 20 minutes until it's about 70% done. After that, we take it out of the water and poke holes in the pork with a needle and then rub it all over with salt and spices. Then we air dry it with a fan for 12 hours.

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.

Why is my boiled pork belly tough? ›

To cook pork belly properly, we have to give it the time and temperatures it needs to render both the fat and the collagen. This usually means low, slow cooking. Any meat will expel its available free water at temperatures above 180°F (82°C), becoming tough and dry.

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

What is Chashu? Japanese have adapted the famous Chinese barbecued pork called Char Siu (叉燒) as chāshū (チャーシュー). Unlike the Chinese version which requires roasting over high heat, we prepare the meat by rolling it into a log and then braising it over low heat in a sauce seasoned with soy sauce, sake, and sugar.

What is siu yok 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. It is made by roasting an entire pig with seasonings, such as salt and vinegar in a charcoal furnace at high temperature.

What is another word for char siu? ›

Char siu, called yakibuta in Japanese (in Japan it's called by both names チャーシュー or 焼豚)is used in many everyday dishes. It is very rich, so it's usually used in small quantities, not eaten as a hunk o' meat. Here are just a few ways you can use it: top off a bowl of ramen with one or two thin slices.

What is the difference between pork and char siu? ›

Pork is raw; char soy is pork cooked in a Chinese recipe. Pork is simply the protein. Char siu is the dish made from it (BBQ Pork,) Cantonese Style.

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