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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.
Ingredients
- Pork belly
- Five spice powder
- Garlic
- Kosher salt
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1: 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.
Step 2: Wash and use paper towels to dry the pork belly.
Step 3: Make some horizontal slits on the sides of the belly, then rub the meat side with the five spice powder.
Step 4: Insert each garlic and push them deep inside the pork belly.
Step 5: Layer the top of the pork belly with the salt evenly.
Step 6: Place the pork belly on a wire rack. This is how it should look before going into the oven.
Step 7: 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.
Step 8: 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.
Step 9: Remove the pork belly from the oven, pull off the salt crust and discard.
Step 10: Raise the heat of oven to 465°F (240°C), place the pork belly back in the oven and roast for another 40 minutes.
Step 11: Remove from oven and let set for 10 minutes.
Step 12: Cut and serve immediately with some chili sauce and hoisin sauce, or eat as is.
Frequently Asked Questions
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
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 I see the recipe calls for 1 tsp salt but I know there is more that goes on the skin. How much salt is that? Did I miss it somewhere? Also does it matter what kind of salt I only have kosher. Thx!
It was a typo, updated. Yes kosher salt will be best.
Hi. I made this and the end result was yummy. However, I have a question: was I supposed to remove the pan of water prior to upping the temp to 465F? I removed the pork, and raised the temp, leaving the pan of water in there. As a result, the pan boiled like crazy and I think that’s where things went wrong: My control panel on my oven got condensation in there and then basically my oven died. I had to finish ‘roasting’ the pork in my air fryer under the bake option. It ended up being yummy still, and likely not as crispy as if I’d done it in the oven. Can you please clarify as I’d like to do it again, when I get my new oven and don’t want it to kill my new oven too. Thank you.
Hi Susan, yes, you keep the water in there. I am not sure why it happened to your oven but it sounds like you have a lot of water. You don’t need that much water, just enough to help with creating steam in the oven.
How much water do you put in the pan? I used the broiler pan from the oven and covered the entire bottom of the pan with water to at least 1/4″ to 1/2″. Is that too much? It was bubbling when I upped the oven and took out the pork to remove the salt. Where was the tsp of salt supposed to go, btw? I don’t remember if I used kosher salt on the top, versus regular salt… kosher is better to use, right? Thanks for the tips and recipe. I can’t wait for my new oven to try it again. It’ll be under warranty so I’m not afraid to give it another go, it was so yummy. The family ate it all in one sitting!
The water is fine, it shoule be bubbling. Kosher salt or table salt is fine. There is 1 teaspoon five spice powder.
Hi!!! I’ve made this twice! Thank you for this easy and simple to follow recipe!
Awesome I am glad you like it. Please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
Sodium 28367mg. It that correct?
My program is counting all the salt used when roasting, which is discarded later. Label updated.
Tried this recipe and family loves it!
Thank you :))
Awesome Jan. Please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
I was wondering, for the second roasting with 465 F, do we have to take out the water or leave it in?
Thank You,
Best ,
Daniel
Leave it in. Add more water if dry up!
Fantastic recipe. Have used this recipe for years to make near perfect siew yuk. Best results obtained with pork belly pieces of roughly the same thickness. Yum!
Hi Seve, thanks for your comment.
Hi, do I need to poke holes into the skin of the pork belly before roasting it? Your recipe looks great, want to try it out this weekend!
Hi Cassandra, you do not need to do anything. Just follow the recipe.
I just made this. I followed the recipe instructions exactly, other than taking cutting short the roasting time (my slab of pork was only 1/2 kg), and it turned out perfect. I’ll make 1kg next time, the roast pork disappeared too fast!
Hi Cassandra, so happy to hear that. :) Please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
hi do u have to have the water in the pan at all times? thx..
Yes
Hi Bee,
I’m thinking on trying this recipe during this quarantine situation :)
Will be using portable oven to make this, crossing my finger it will work out well. Just wondering though, do I use top and bottom heat? or is it bottom/top heat only?
Thanks ahead for inspiring us readers :)
Hi Cindy, I am not sure. I think you will need more heat in the top to make the skin crackly.
Hi
Your recipe looks easy and good . Will try
Yes, very easy!
Hi Bee, What kind of salt should be used? Regular table salt? Kosher salt? Thank you. Kind regards.
I just use regular salt. Kosher salt will be fine.