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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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? ›

Insufficient heat will make it hard for the skin to get really crisp. Make sure to take the pork out of the fridge 30 minutes before you cook it so that the meat reaches room temperature. A high starting temperature (240C/220C fan/gas 9 in this recipe) is essential for crisping up the pork.

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.

What is the meaning of Siu Yuk? ›

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 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.

Is pork char siu unhealthy? ›

Arguably Char Siu may be carcinogenic. Despite the charred chunks, many may easily chomp down when the meat is carved and served in thin or thick slices on a plate, all because it is too delicious to resist the temptation. There are also many health enthusiasts who would not lay an eye on anything charred.

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.

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.

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.

Should I marinate pork belly? ›

Marinating pork belly is a fantastic way to infuse it with delicious flavors and tenderize the meat, resulting in a mouthwatering dish that will have everyone coming back for seconds.

How long to boil pork belly before frying? ›

Prick and Parboil the Meat

Parboil pork belly on medium heat for half an hour. Begin the process by taking a fork and pricking your meat all over – both the fleshy parts and the skin. This step helps tenderize the liempo and causes the fat to render once cooked.

What is a substitute for char siu paste? ›

Hoisin sauce

The original sauce uses fermented soybean paste which is quite tricky to find. I cannot always find it, so instead, I use hoisin sauce which is more widely available. Hoisin sauce adds a kick of umami and a subtle tanginess. You can use store-bought or follow my recipe to make your own hoisin sauce.

Is char siu Chinese or Japanese? ›

The Japanese name “chashu” actually comes from the Chinese food item with a similar name, “char-siu”. There's plenty of classic Japanese food items with roots in other countries. However, over the years, they manage to transform those dishes to be something uniquely Japanese.

What is the red in 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.

What is siu yuk in vietnamese? ›

Out of all the meaty goodness, the most tantalizing is the roasted pork belly, also known as Thit Heo Quay in Vietnamese or Siu Yuk in Cantonese.

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 another word for char siu? ›

In Thailand, char siu is called mu daeng (Thai: หมูแดง, pronounced [mǔː dɛ̄ːŋ], "red pork") and in Cambodia it is called sach chrouk sa seev (Khmer: សាច់ជ្រូកសាស៉ីវ, sac cruuk sa səyv). In the Philippines, it is known as Chinese pork asado, but also referred to as cha siu.

What is the difference between pork and char siu? ›

Pork is raw; char soy is pork cooked in a Chinese recipe. Char Siu (叉烧), additionally is aware of as Chinese BBQ beef, is a form of roasted beef originating from Cantonese cuisine. Traditionally, the marinated beef is skewered with lengthy forks and roasted in an oven or over an open fire.

What meat is char siu made of? ›

Char siu is Chinese restaurant-style pork with a deep red, sweet and sticky coating. Char siu literally means "fork roast" and refers to the traditional method of cooking this dish by which strips of seasoned pork were skewered with long forks and roasted in a covered oven or over a fire.

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