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Chinese roast pork or siu yuk. Save yourself a trip to Chinatown and use this easy recipe for the best and crispiest Chinese roast pork belly at home.
Chinese Roast Pork Recipe
In my cookbook “Easy Chinese Recipes,” I have a Chinese roast pork belly recipe, or siu yuk.
When it comes to Chinese roast pork, one could never have enough of the crispy skinned roasted pork belly. It’s sinfully delicious!
This Chinese Roast Pork recipe is from my good friend Robert Danhi’s Facebook page. Robert and his wife made the roast pork following a recipe gathered from a church in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
This is the PERFECT recipe for Chinese roast pork belly! It’s absolutely mouthwatering.
The recipe is easy, hassle-free and fail-proof. I guarantee you crispy, crunchy, absolutely aromatic and to-die-for pork crackling, melt-in-your-mouth pork belly.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This is the easiest and best recipe you’ll find online. There is no need to poke the pork skin, there is no no vinegar in the recipe.
There is also no need to par-boil the pork belly before roasting.
The end result is very crispy pork crackling. The pork belly is also juicy, tender, with the melt-in-your-mouth pork fat.
The taste is a bit salty and aromatic. The aroma comes from the garlic and five-spice powder.
Secrets To Perfect Crispy Pork Belly
- The Salt Crust Method: Since I don’t prick the skin, the salt crust does all the heavy lifting. I pack a thick, even layer of kosher salt over the skin to pull the moisture up to the surface. Once that salt hardens into a shell and I peel it off, the skin underneath is perfectly primed to puff up and blister.
- The Steam Bath Trick: I always place a pan of water on the rack below the pork. This creates a humid environment that keeps the meat side incredibly tender and juicy while the skin side roasts. It prevents the pork from drying out during that long first hour in the oven.
- The Garlic Pocket: I make sure to tuck the garlic cloves deep into the horizontal slits. If they are poking out, the heat will push them right out of the meat as it shrinks. Hiding them deep inside ensures the garlic flavor infuses into the center of the pork belly without burning.
- The High Heat Blast: The real magic happens when I crank the heat up to 465°F after removing the salt. This massive temperature jump is what turns that dried out skin into a bubbly, crunchy masterpiece. I just keep a close eye on it during those last 40 minutes to make sure it browns evenly.
Ingredients
- Pork belly
- Five spice powder
- Garlic
- Kosher salt
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make Chinese Roast Pork (Siu Yuk)
Preheat your oven to 350°F. I like to put a pan filled with water on the bottom third rack and place the roasting rack right above it. This creates a steam bath that keeps the meat side tender while the skin roasts.
Give your pork belly a quick wash and use paper towels to get it bone dry. This is a huge step because any leftover moisture will stop the skin from getting that perfect crackle.
Make some horizontal slits on the sides of the belly. Rub the meat side with your five spice powder, making sure to keep the spices away from the top skin.
Push your garlic cloves deep into those slits. You want them tucked way in there so the meat doesn’t push them out as it shrinks during roasting.
Layer the top of the pork belly with an even coat of kosher salt. This is what pulls the moisture out of the skin.
Place your pork on a wire rack. It should look like it has a solid white cap on top before you slide it in.
Put the pork in the top third of the oven and roast for 1 hour. You will see the oil dripping down into the water pan while the salt starts to harden.
Bake until that salt layer forms a hard shell. If the water in the pan below looks low, just add a bit more so the meat stays juicy.
Take the pork out of the oven and carefully pull off that hard salt crust. You can go ahead and throw the salt away.
Crank your oven up to 465°F. Put the pork back in for about 40 minutes. This is where the magic happens and the skin starts to bubble and get super crispy.
Once it is done, let the pork set for 10 minutes. This lets the juices settle so they don’t run out when you cut it.
Cut it into pieces and serve it immediately. It is amazing on its own, but even better with some chili sauce and hoisin on the side.
Frequently Asked Questions
You don’t! I found that the salt crust method draws out enough moisture to give you that perfect, glassy crackle without any of the extra poking.
I don’t recommend it. Fine salt melts too quickly and can make your meat way too salty. Stick with coarse kosher salt because it stays on top and peels off easily.
This happens when the meat tightens as it cooks. To prevent this, just make sure you tuck the cloves as deep as possible into those horizontal slits before roasting.
It usually means there was still moisture on the skin or the oven wasn’t hot enough. Make sure to pat the skin bone dry and let the oven fully hit 465°F before the final blast.
Keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to eat, use an air fryer or toaster oven to bring back that crunch. Avoid the microwave or the skin will turn rubbery.
This recipe is only 446 calories per serving.
What To Serve With This Recipe
Serve this dish with rice or noodles. For a Chinese meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Recipes You Might Like
- Air Fryer Pork Belly (Siu Yuk)
- Char Siu
- Chinese BBQ Pork
- Braised Pork Belly (Dongpo Rou)
- Braised Pork Belly in Soy Sauce
Chinese Roast Pork Belly
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. pork belly
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon five spice powder
- Kosher salt, for layering
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C), arrange a pan on the bottom 1/3 of oven rack and fill with water. The pork belly should be roasted using the rack above it.
- Wash and use paper towels to dry the pork belly.
- Make some horizontal slits on the sides of the belly, then rub the meat side with the five spice powder.
- Insert each garlic and push them deep inside the pork belly.
- Layer the top of the pork belly with the salt evenly.
- Place the pork belly on a wire rack. This is how it should look before going into the oven.
- Place the pork belly at the top 1/3 of the oven and roast for 1 hour. While baking, the oil will drip to the bottom pan with water.
- Bake until the salt crust forms, the salt should be hardened. Check water in the pan below and add if needed. This is how the pork belly and salt crust will look like in the oven. You have to insert the garlic deep inside the horizontal slits or else they will be pushed out during the roasting process.
- Remove the pork belly from the oven, pull off the salt crust and discard.
- Raise the heat of oven to 465°F (240°C), place the pork belly back in the oven and roast for another 40 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let set for 10 minutes.
- Cut and serve immediately with some chili sauce and hoisin sauce, or eat as is.
Video
Notes
- Bake until the salt crust forms, the salt should be hardened.
- Check water in the pan below and add if needed.
- You have to insert the garlic deep inside the horizontal slits or else they will be pushed out during the roasting process.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi, Did you use table salt or kosher salt?
I used table salt.
Thank you :-) very useful to know :-)
Perfect Chinese roast pork.
Hi,
Thanks for the recipe. The timing states 40 mins cooking time while in step 7, the cooking time is 1 hour while in step 10, the cooking time is 40 mins. Is it intentional for step 7 and 10 to be a combined 1 hour 40 mins?
Thanks for clarifying.
It was a mistake, it has been updated. You need to roast for 1 hour and 40 minutes.
I did it for my family cny reunion dinner. Thumbs up from everyone! Thank you very much for sharing this recipe. If I double the recipe, how long do I have to roast it ?
Cut into two equal sized slab and roast the same time.
Thank you for the recipe. I tried this but the skin got very salty and hard. Is it supposed to be hard and salty? Or have i done something wrong?
Ps: my oven has maximum temp of 200c. So i put the pork back after removing the salt at 200c on a higher rack. Also, what could i do to get the meat more tender?
If the skin is too salty, the salt wasn’t properly removed. The salt should form a crust that can be easily removed. The meat is tender with crispy skin with my oven, maybe you can try covering with foil.
Hi,
Excellent recipe, i am going try out this weekend.
Like to know, for the oven setting for the first 40 minutes and the second 30 minutes, do you use Fan bake plus broiler setting for both? Or should i just use fan bake?
Thanks!
Hi Felix, I don’t have any of the settings you mentioned. Just regular baking, no broiler for sure.
Thank you so much for the recipe. This is so yummy and easy to prepare. Taste just like back home. Just keep on eye on the water if you have a shallow tray like mine. Everyone loves it and we even save some to add it to our fried rice the following day.
Fried rice with roast pork, sounds delicious!
Thank you for the reply. I will focus on removing the salt properly the next time. And should I cover the whole meat or just the skin with the foil?
You can cover the top and the meat, it is fine.
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I cooked for the first hour at 325F, and topped up my water bath periodically. It turned out moist and flavourful.
Awesome, so happy you tried my Chinese roast pork. Please try out more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
Hello! Your recipe looks very easy to follow, will try it out soon! :) a question posted to me, without puttin the other ingredients like vinegar, chinese wine, or even leaving it in the fridge for xx amount of time works? What about the smell of the belly if we don’t broil it earlier?
Just follow the recipe. It works.