This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my privacy policy.
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 Rasa,
Can I use a pork rack instead of belly for this? How will this change the cooking time?
I think you can, but the reason Chinese roast pork has to be pork belly is because of the crispy and bubbly skin. Does pork rack has skin?
Tried it this CNY. At the end of baking, the pork skin didn’t have that bubbly effect, so I baked it longer than what was recommended in the recipe. My pork turns out tough — perhaps I overbaked it. I feel like trying again, but 2 lbs of pork is a bit too much to repeat. Can I halve this recipe? Do I have to change the time or temperature if I do so?
Hi Jimmy, I am not sure why your roast pork didn’t bubble, I think it’s not dry enough? Did you buy the salt like the video? You don’t have to change time or temperature if you half the recipe.
A little bit curious, if I use 1 lbs instead of 2 lbs pork belly, do i need to cut half of the cooking time or just go as the recipe?
Same time.
I had a first go at this tonight and it turned out great! I had a little less pork belly than the recipe called for so I tried to improvise on the spices and the time. I got the salt crust just like the recipe said. I might have overcooked the pork just a smidge after removing the salt though. The skin was a little tough but could still eat it. Flavor was great and the meat/fat was perfect!
Knowing how good and easy this is, I will get a larger cut of pork belly. I had 1.5 lbs on this go.
Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Mike for trying my Chinese roast pork recipe.
This works exactly as described! Perfect recipe! Served with rice and stir fried baby Bok Choy with garlic and onion.
Hi Paul, sounds like a great meal. I am so happy that you like this Chinese Roast Pork recipe.
Chinese roast pork is a favorite in our house I love how easy this sounds and this looks like something my family will love!Thanks a ton for the recipe.
Hi bee. I just tried the recipe. It turns out good and crispy, but the crispiness is hard to crack, sicnce the skin is thick, how do we make the skin thinner? Imagine biting into thick crispy skin vs thin crispy skin. The thinner would be better wont it? Please do advise. Thank you
Oh this looks good!
Hi! Thought I’d share some information over here since reading the other reviews helped me get this dish right.
I was really worried I’d fail because I didn’t have a big enough wire rack. I used my oven’s grill tray, the kind that’s got a groove running right along the bottom parameter and the middle raised so the oil collects in the groove. Not sure if these are the right terms but it’s the way I’d describe it. This means none of my fat dripped into the bath.
So I put my enormous slab of pork belly in and followed the instructions. Thing was, my pork belly was really huge, so it overcrowded the top third of my oven, and it leant to one side so only one vertical half of the skin was crispy-looking. After an hour in the oven I took it out before I proceed to the ‘cook in 240 deg C’ step so as to adjust the position of the pork. I put the oven on preheat (to 240 deg C), took a small-ish wire rack to prop up the side of the meat, and because it was still falling over my husband jammed a fork in the meat and let the handle rest between the wires of the rack, effectively forming a lever that made the meat stay up.
We put it in again for the prescribed 40 minutes, this time in the second third of the oven, right above the bath. Our pork belly was touching the ceiling of the oven in the top third, so I decided second would be better. I was so worried that the non-crispy half of the skin wasn’t going to cook, or that the proximity to the bath would ruin everything, but it didn’t! It still came out beautifully!
This means, if you don’t have a wire rack, or if you decided to put the meat lower (at least, after the first hour), your roast pork would still turn out awesome.
Thanks, Bee!
Thanks Lydia for your very insightful comment.
i hardly write comments on recipes i find online but i really need to for this one.
there are many other recipes with baking soda/vinegar, pre boiling or letting meat sit in the fridge overnight but its not necessary.
this crackling came out PERFECT. everyone raved about it at christmas lunch!!
the supermarket sold pork belly with its skin and fat already scored, i tied twine around the top portion of the pork belly to maintain its shape (otherwise it will fan out) and also not let the salt crust leech into the meat below.
i doubled the recipe easy (2kg of pork belly) and added ginger powder and white pepper to the spice mix and it worked really well (inspired by another recipe online).
used only 1.5c of coarse salt for my doubled recipe. i tried to pack it on, but a small portion of the sides kept falling off – its ok. turned out well. i think as long as you have liberal amounts of salt on the skin it will dry out the skin enough to produce the great crackling.
thank you so much for the recipe!!
Hi J thanks so much for trying my Chinese roast pork recipe. I am so glad that you enjoyed it. Yes, the sand ginger powder and white pepper will enhance the taste. :)