Slow Roasted Crispy Pork Belly Siu Yuk 脆皮烧肉 Recipes

SLOW-ROASTED CRISPY PORK BELLY

Steps:

• Dry skin overnight: Place pork belly on a plate. Pat skin dry with paper towels. Leave uncovered in fridge overnight to dry out the skin. (If you don't have time, pat the skin dry as best you can).
• Preheat oven to 140°C/285°F (120°C fan).
• Season flesh: Drizzle flesh (only) with 1 tsp oil. Sprinkle over 1/2 tsp salt, the pepper and fennel powder. Rub all over the flesh, including on the sides, being sure you get right into all the cracks and crevices.
• Wrap in foil: Place 2 pieces of foil on a work surface. Put the belly in middle of foil, skin side up. Fold the sides in to enclose the belly, forming an open box, pinching corners to seal tightly and make it as snug as possible. Place meat on a tray.
• Season skin: Pat skin dry with paper towels. Rub with 1/2 tsp oil then sprinkle remaining 1/2 tsp salt evenly all over the skin surface, from edge to edge.
• Slow roast 2 1/2 hours: Place in the oven and roast for 2 1/2 hours. After 1 1/2 hours, remove and tighten the foil (pork will have shrunk), and continue cooking. This keeps the pork fat level up as high as possible, and the flesh protected so it stays moist.
• Increase heat: Remove pork from oven, then increase heat to 240°C/465°F (all oven types).
• Level pork: Remove pork from foil and place on a rack set over a tray (using rack is best, but optional). Use scrunched up balls of foil stuffed under pork to prop up so the skin surface is as level and horizontal as possible (see photos in post).
• 30 minutes on high heat! Place the pork back in the oven for 30 minutes, rotating after 15 minutes as needed, until the crackling is deep golden, puffy and crispy all over. If some patches are browning faster, protect with foil patches.
• Rest 10 minutes: Remove pork from oven. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
• Serving: Slice into 2cm / ⅘"-thick slices using a serrated knife. Pictured in post with Apple Sauce and Vermouth Jus, with a side of Cauliflower Puree (Note 2)! See directions in post for how to plate it up as pictured (fine dining style!), as well as a list of more sauce options.

CRISPY PORK BELLY (SIU YUK)

Steps:

• Place the pork belly in a large pot with clean water, add cooking wine, scallion, ginger and sichuan peppercorn. Continue cook for 3 minutes after boiling.
• Transfer the pork out and pat dry the water. Then pork as many holes on the rind. Back and forth and repeat several times. This is the most important step.
• After the hard pork process, apply a small pinch of salt on the rind.
• Cut two shallow lines on the pork (only the lean part, not deep to touch the fat) and then sprinkle the dry rub evenly.
• Wrap the pork belly with foil wrappers and place in fridge overnight.Uncovered please, we need the rind to be dry before roasting.
• Pre-heat oven to 180 degree C. Brush a thin layer of vinegar and spread salt evenly to form a protecting layer. Roast for 50 minutes to 1 hour.
• Remove the salt and place the pork belly on the middle rack. Remember to use a tray to catch the dropping oils. Use upper fire only at the temperature of 220 degree C, and roast until the rind is golden brown and well crackled.
• Let the pork belly stay in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes until slightly cooled down. Transfer out and cut into small bites.
• Cutting tips: when cutting the pork belly, place the skin side down. Cut the meat part firstly and then press the knife to break the crispy rinds.

SLOW ROASTED CRISPY PORK BELLY (SIU YUK, 脆皮烧肉)

Steps:

• Choose a shallow dish large enough to hold the pork belly (I used a baking dish). Add all the marinating ingredients and stir to mix well.
• Pat the skin of the pork belly with a paper towel to dry completely. Score the skin into a crosshatch pattern using a sharp knife. Try to cut through the skin without piercing the fat.
• Carefully transfer the pork into the shallow dish with the marinade. The marinade should come up to the sides of the pork but not touch the skin. Let it marinate in the fridge uncovered overnight or for up to a day.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleaning. Place a wire rack on top and then place the pork on the rack.
• Evenly spread a layer of salt to cover the pork skin entirely.
• Cook at 400 F (200 C) for 30 minutes. Then lower the oven temperature to 300 F (150 C). Bake for another 2 hours.
• Raise the oven temperature to 450 F (230 C) and roast for another 30 to 45 minutes, until the skin completely crisps up.
• Move the pork onto the kitchen counter and loosely cover with aluminum foil. Slash a cross on top of the foil to let out steam so the crackling will remain crispy. Rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Alternatively, you can place the pork in the oven on the lowest setting if you won't serve it immediately.
• Serve the pork hot or warm with preferred dipping sauce (*Footnote 4).
• Store the leftover pork in fridge for 3 to 4 days.
• To reheat, preheat the oven to 400 F (200C). Separate the skin from the meat. Place the skin in a baking dish without overlapping, in the middle or upper section of the oven. Wrap the meat with aluminum foil and place in the lower part of the oven. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the skin is bubbling and starts to turn dark.