Cantonese Roast Pork Belly, or siu yuk (bah…my Cantonese is terrible…slash nonexistent), is getting added to our compendium of roast meats that can usually be found in your average Chinatown restaurant window. After already posting recipes for Soy Sauce Chicken, “White Cut” Chicken, Roast Duck, and Char Siu Pork, we’ve saved the best for last.
Now, understand that although I was practically raised on this stuff like most children were raised on dinosaur chicken nuggets, I came to the party with absolutely no knowledge of how to actually make this Cantonese classic roast pork belly. But don’t worry…although I happen to be writing this Chinese crispy roast pork belly recipe, I had a lot of help from the parents on this one. We did our research (this YouTube video played a big part in our success), and the results were pretty on point.
After we all came to an agreement on the right roast pork belly recipe, I cooked this thing pretty much on my own, and if I can do it, you totally can. It’s way easier than you’d expect. I don’t want to give away any spoilers up here, so scroll down to see how it’s done.
Before we move on, take note: For our Chinese roast pork belly recipe, you’ll see that we used a slab of pork belly that still had the ribs attached. Our thinking was that this would keep the pork moist. If you want to do it this way, you can remove (and subsequently snack on) said ribs before slicing your pork after it’s been roasted. That said, it’s easier to get the pork to cook evenly without the ribs. The cooking time just needs to be adjusted, and it’s all detailed in our instructions. Totally your call, though.
Okay, with that said…to make your very own Cantonese roast pork belly, you’ll need:
- 3 lb slab of pork belly
- 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon five spice powder
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup coarse sea salt
…And that’s it. I couldn’t believe it either.
Start by rinsing the pork belly, and then pat it dry. Place it skin-side down on a small tray (you’ll be putting it in the refrigerator for some time, so make sure you have space), and rub the shaoxing wine into the meat (not the skin). Mix together the salt, sugar, five spice powder and white pepper. Thoroughly rub this spice mixture into the meat as well. Flip the meat over so it’s skin-side up.
So, to do the next step, there’s actually a special tool that restaurants use, but we just used a sharp metal skewer. Systematically poke holes ALL over the skin, which will help the skin crisp up, rather than stay smooth and leathery. The more holes there are, the better, really. Try not to gouge it too much. You want lots of small, delicate holes. Let it dry out in the fridge uncovered, for 12-24 hours.
If you plan to make this often or are the ultimate kitchen gadget person, then invest in one of these cool tools, the Orblue manual meat tenderizer!
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place a large piece of aluminum foil (heavy duty foil works best) onto a baking tray, and fold up the sides around the pork snugly, so that you’re creating a kind of box all around it, with a 1-inch high border going around the sides.
Brush the rice wine vinegar on top of the pork skin. Pack the sea salt in one even layer over the skin, so the pork is completely covered.
Place in the oven and roast for 1 hour and 30 minutes. If your pork belly still has the rib attached, roast for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Take the pork out of the oven, turn on the broiler to low, and position the oven rack in the lowest position. Remove the top layer of sea salt from the pork belly, unfold the foil, and place a roasting rack on the pan. Place the pork belly on the rack and put it back under the broiler to crisp up into a crispy pork belly.
This should take 10-15 minutes. The broiler should ideally be on “low” so that this process can happen gradually. If your broiler gets pretty hot, keep a close eye on it and be sure to keep the pork as far away from the heat source as possible.
When the skin has puffed up and gotten crispy, remove from the oven. Let it rest for about 15 minutes, and then slice. Wait for it….
BOOM.
Amazing. We’re a fan of this crispy pork belly on its own, but it’s often served with sugar and/or mustard. Enjoy this one, everyone!
If you want to try the Shanghai clan’s best pork belly recipe, then I suggest you check out my mom’s (i.e. Judy’s) Shanghai braised pork belly (hong shao rou) recipe!
Cantonese Roast Pork Belly
Ingredients
- 3 lb slab of pork belly
- 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon five spice powder
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Rinse the pork belly and pat dry. Place it skin-side down on a tray, and rub the shaoxing wine into the meat (not the skin). Mix together the salt, sugar, five spice powder and white pepper. Thoroughly rub this spice mixture into the meat as well. Flip the meat over so it’s skin-side up.
- So, to do the next step, there’s actually a special tool that restaurants use, but we just used a sharp metal skewer. Systematically poke holes ALL over the skin, which will help the skin crisp up, rather than stay smooth and leathery. The more holes there are, the better, really. Let it dry out in the fridge uncovered, for 12-24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place a large piece of aluminum foil (heavy duty foil works best) onto a baking tray, and fold up the sides around the pork snugly, so that you’re creating a kind of box all around it, with a 1-inch high border going around the sides.
- Brush the rice wine vinegar on top of the pork skin. Pack the sea salt in one even layer over the skin, so the pork is completely covered. Place in the oven and roast for 1 hour and 30 minutes. If your pork belly still has the rib attached, roast for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
- Take the pork out of the oven, turn on the broiler to low, and position the oven rack in the lowest position. Remove the top layer of sea salt from the pork belly, unfold the foil, and place a roasting rack on the pan. Place the pork belly on the rack and put it back under the broiler to crisp up. This should take 10-15 minutes. The broiler should ideally be on “low” so that this process can happen gradually. If your broiler gets pretty hot, keep a close eye on it and be sure to keep the pork as far away from the heat source as possible.
- When the skin has puffed up and gotten crispy, remove from the oven. Let it rest for about 15 minutes and then slice.
Nutrition
Jen says
I want to make this for a dinner party main dish. Can I finish the recipe and keep this in the oven to keep warm for about an hour on low heat? Or will that ruin the crispy skin?
Sarah says
Hey Jen, the risk of doing that is that it will dry out!
Jen says
I ended up cooking it on lower heat for a longer time, and then crisping the skin when it came time to serving. It turned out great! Very straight-forward but rewarding recipe! Thanks!
Sarah says
You’re welcome, Jen!!
David says
I just blogged this here: https://www.thenomr.com/?p=21212
Stunning recipe. Half an hour under the grill. Especially if your smoke alarm is as sensitive as ours!
Sarah says
Love seeing the photo David! Thanks for the shoutout and the feedback. :)
Vivien says
Hi I’m planning to make this tonight. I have a few questions:
1. How long should I roast if using 500g of pork
2. My oven has heater select option; upper, lower , or upper lower. Which should I go for the initial roasting stage and where to place it ? Top, bottom or middle.
3. I don’t have a broiler, do i put it right at the bottom and what temperature should I put?
Thank you very much and looking forward to your reply on this. ?
Sarah says
Hi Vivien,
It depends on the thickness and shape of your piece of pork belly. A long, narrow shape will roast faster than a square shape, for instance. But you can definitely decrease the roasting time for a piece that small. Try 45 minutes to an hour. I would use upper lower for the first roasting stage and place it in the middle of the oven. If you don’t have a broiler, select the upper heat option and crank it up. You can keep the pork in the middle––just watch it. If it starts to scorch before it’s had a chance to bubble, move it to a lower rack, further away from the heat.
Nik says
What is the purpose of the coarse sea salt? I found my pork to be quite salty at the bottom as some sea salt had fallen down and mixed with the juice/oil at the bottom of the foil. Is there a way to avoid this?
Sarah says
The coarse salt we find is easier to remove later. Try making the foil wrap tighter around the pork belly so that the salt doesn’t fall into the cracks. you can also leave a bit of an empty border around the edges of the pork belly, so that the salt has room to breath without falling into those nooks and crannies.
Kolina says
Hi! I followed this recipe exactly as stated but my pork skin was chewy vs crunchy. Can you tell me what I might have done wrong? I was thinking maybe because the skin wasn’t dry enough? I let it dry in the fridge for 2 days though. The flavoring and the meat itself was delicious and juicy. Just want to perfect the skin. How can i make sure it will be crunchy versus chewy?
Sarah says
Hey Kolina, I think the problem is that there weren’t enough holes poked into the meat. The holes are what allow the skin to puff up and become airy/crispy as opposed to chewy. Make sure to poke enough holes in the skin, and that they’re deep enough (down to the fat, just short of puncturing the actual fat).