Traditional Cantonese Crispy Roast pork belly – Siu Yuk, 脆皮烧肉, is my daughter favourite of all Chinese roast dishes. She can never have enough of Cantonese Crispy Roast Pork Belly aka Siu Yuk and will eat it everyday.
However normally after marinating and roasting it all day, after the cleaning up I find I can only able to manage a few pieces.
Actually Cantonese Crispy Roast Pork Belly is not hard to do. It just takes a bit of time love and attention. I have actually done a few steps by steps posts in the past but I have since lost my old blog so here’s a new updated one.
i do not often order this dish in restaurant outside as I find them only having one taste – salty! That is NOT a traditional Cantonese Crispy Roast Pork belly! Well not to me anyway 😀 The layer on salt on top type and wrapping with tin foil is NOT a traditional Cantonese Crispy Roast pork belly to me too. I cannot think what to do with the salt after nor wonder how the bottom can get nicely roasted if on tin foil.
While is going through it stages be it salting or marinating you can go gardening, shopping, clean out your fridge freezer for examples. kekekekekeke or just have coffee and Facebook catch up.
TIP – The hot water on the skin not only tightens it but helps in giving you a crispy skin.
TIP – The salting of the pork draws out the water in the skin and makes it more crispy.
TIP : Only poke the skin, skin deep NOT onto the fat layer. The more holes the nicer the skin.
TIP : When roasting place the tray into your oven first then fill the bottom tray with a kettle of boiled water. This help to catch the oil and keep the pork belly very juicy.
IMPORTANT – You might need to add more water to your tray halfway!
Traditional Cantonese Crispy Roast pork belly – Siu Yuk, 脆皮烧肉.
Ingredients
- 2 large Fermented Red Beancurd (I have matchbox sized pieces)
- 1 bulb Minced Garlic (I love the taste of garlic)
- 2 tsp Five spice Powder (more if you wish)
- Freshly ground Sarawak Pepper
- Half cup Rose Wine/Rice wine
- Pinch of sugar (optional)
- Plain vinegar for halfway brushing.
- Boiled water for roasting tray
Instructions
Prepare the slab of Pork Belly
- Rinse the pork belly with a few kettle of hot water. When doing so scrap the skin with a knife to remove all the impurities. See pic.
- Dry the pork belly and then use your poker and poke the belly skin as long as you can bare. I did this for about 20 minutes.
- Next you salt the pork belly all over with salt and leave it for 3 to 4 hours. This is to draws out the moisture so the skin will be crispy and it will stays crispy for 2 days.
Prepare the marinate
- Mince the garlic, add in the fermented red beancurd, pepper, wine, five spice powder and mix everything well.
Marinate the Pork Belly
- Give the pork belly another rinse with hot water and dry the skin. flip over the pork belly onto a clean cloth then marinate the meat side only. Do not marinate the skin.
- Let the marinate sit for at least 2 hours before turning it over and dry the skin in the sun for 2 or more hours.
Roasting
- Place the pork belly on top of a rake with water to catch the oil dripping when roasting. This is will not only keep your pork belly moist all through roasting but will stop your oven from smoking.
- Roast in 200C oven until the bones stick out about 1.5 hour to 2 hours.
- After 2 hours replenish the water from boiled hot water and put the temperature higher to 230C for another 30 minutes.
Notes
Part One – Preparing the slab of Pork Belly.
Wash the pork belly. Use a knife to scrape the impurities 
. Then pour hot water from kettle onto the skin. 
Then use any contraption to poke hole onto the skin. This was a present from my youngest brother. 
After finished poking, salt the whole slab of pork belly. I do this by the sink as water will seep out. This is to draws out the moisture so the skin will be crispy and it will stays crispy for 2 days.
Part 2 – Preparing the marinate
Mince the garlic, add in the fermented red beancurd, pepper, wine, five spice powder and mix everything well.
Part 3 – Marinating the Pork Belly
Give the pork a good rinse to wash away the salt and rest the skin on a cloth not kitchen roll as the skin is now a bit tacky and will stick to kitchen roll. 
use a knife to remove and lumps of fats and slice in between the bones like so. 
I have a bone at the very end so I remove it but do not throw it away 
Brush the marinate on and just leave it to marinate for at least 2 hours, the longer the better. 
After 3 hours I overturned in onto a rack with a pan below and sit it in the UK sun for a couple of hours to dry the skin.
Time for Roasting – Roast for 2 hours on 200C then refill the water tray, brush the skin with vinegar and up the heat to 230C for 30 minutes.
After being in the sun for over 2 hours until I am satisfired the skin is totally dry and slight leathery. 
Place the bone and some tin foil under this area cause there was a dent. Dent is not good as they will collect a pool of oil and won’t be crispy. Salt the top with a thin layer of salt before roasting in 200C oven for 2 hours. Fill the tray with hot water when roasting to catch the oil and to make your pork belly stay moist. 
Remove from oven 
Twist and pull out the bones gently 
Save the bones for another dish/stock
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