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Crispy pork belly , also known as Chinese Roast Pork, (siu yuk) is a traditional dish of tender, juicy pork belly with super crispy roasted skin. It is a simple recipe with a perfect blend of savory seasoning and a special roasting trick. It is a delicious treat that never fails to impress!

a photo of crispy pork belly fresh after roasting.

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Crispy Pork Belly – Chinese Roast Pork

Crispy pork belly, or Chinese roast pork (“siu yuk”), is a traditional dish known for its crispy, golden skin and tender, juicy meat. Marinated with spices like five-spice powder and soy sauce, the pork is roasted to perfection, offering a delightful contrast of textures and rich, savory flavors. It’s often served with rice or noodles, accompanied by a dipping sauce for added taste.

When you visit a Chinese BBQ shop, you’ll spot crispy pork belly, honey-roasted pork, roasted chicken, crispy duck, and Chinese sausages hanging out front—the ultimate Chinese BBQ lineup.

I’m a big fan of crispy pork belly and honey-roasted BBQ pork—they’re perfect with a bowl of Hainanese Chicken Rice.

Most people worry about getting that perfect crispy skin, which is the first challenge. The second is keeping the meat juicy and tender.

I’ll guide you through it step by step, with pictures and a video to show you the secrets behind crispy skin and juicy meat!

This dish is really great for Chinese New Year dinner. Pair it with Chicken Shrimp Potstickers, Honey Roasted BBQ Pork, or Asian Fried Meatballs. Your family will love it!

Why You Will Love This Recipe

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Recipe Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

Pork Belly – Choose five layer pork belly with enough fat and the shape is rectangular.

Five Spice Powder – this is the one spice you will want to use if you like the aromatic fragrance of five spice powder. In the video, I skip this, I prefer the super simple recipe.

Baking soda – please do not skip this. This will help you make the skin crispy and yet soft. I have tried omitting baking soda and ended up with hard, crispy skin. Trust me, hard, crispy skin is the last thing you want for a crispy pork belly.

The secret is not too much and you really have to wait until the bubble subsides before applying it to the skin.

Vinegar and salt – To absorb the moisture from the skin. Salt will help you draw moisture to the surface and get the crispy skin.

Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below

How to Make

Prepare the pork belly. Clean the skin with knife to remove any leftover fur with a torch if there is any.
If the pork belly is straight from the freezer, no need to thaw it because you’re going to boil the skin right away.
Boil some water, enough to cover the skin part. Put the skin facing down in the boiling water. Boil it for 5 minutes (image 1).
After 5 minutes, take out the pork belly and soak in a clean water. This is to let any leftover blood in the meat come out. Soak for 5 minutes and take the pork belly to the working table.
Prepare some kitchen towel on the working table. Put the pork belly, skin facing up.
Dab the skin with kitchen towel to remove excess water.
Use fork or meat tenderizer to poke the skin (image 2). Do not poke too deep. Just poke for 5 mm. If you poke too deep, the fat layer under the skin will ooze out the fat while roasting. This can prevent the skin from puffing up while roasting.

photo collage of making the skin of the pork belly tender enough to poke.

After drying the skin with the kitchen towel, turn the pork belly upside down. Cut the meat lengthwise and in the middle (image 3). Do not cut through the skin. Create crevices deep enough to let the seasoning go through. This will also help you cut the pork belly easily later after it is done.
Get ready with the seasoning: salt, sugar, pepper and mushroom powder. Mix well.
Use a teaspoon to put the seasoning in the meat crevices and every corner of the meat (image 4). Do not apply to the skin. Just apply to the crevices you made before. Rub it all and massage so the seasoning can be absorbed evenly.
Prepare aluminum foil to wrap the meat. Wrap the meat part with the skin unwrapped (image 5).
Make a rectangular shape following the shape of the pork belly with the aluminum foil.
Dab the skin with kitchen towel. Make sure it is clean from the seasoning.
Now let’s mix the skin potion of baking soda and vinegar (image 6). Mix salt, baking soda, and vinegar together. This mixture will help make the skin crunchy and crispy but not hard.
Stir well until the bubble subsides (image 7). Make sure there is no baking soda residue in the mixture. Apply using a brush on the skin only (image 8). You can brush it a few times.

photo collage of marinating the pork belly.

Put the pork belly in the chiller for at least 6 hours or better overnight. Do not cover the skin. This is drying up process. The next day, take out the pork belly. You can process it right away.
Preheat the oven at 160°C. The oven I use is convection oven with a fan.

photo collage of brushing the skin of the pork belly with baking soda and vinegar.

Apply coarse salt on top of the pork belly so it covers the whole skin. (image 9). Try to apply it as dense as possible. Do not apply too thick as it won’t be necessary. The salt will absorb moisture underneath the skin. It will not make the skin too salty. So don’t worry!
Put on a tray and start roasting in the oven. Place it in the middle rack and roast for 25 minutes.
After 25 minutes, take it out and start scraping the salt gently and clean up with kitchen towel (image 10).
Apply another brush of baking soda, salt, and vinegar. This time only a pinch of salt, a pinch of baking soda and 1 tbsp of vinegar. Always wait until the bubble subsides and apply. (image 11, 12, 13) .
Put it back into the oven. Roast for another 25 minutes. (image 14).

photo collage of applying the salt on the skin of the pork belly.

The vinegar will not make the skin taste sour. It will help absorb the water content.
After 2×25 minutes, turn up the oven to 200-250°C. Roast and check for every 15 minutes. You may want to rotate the pan every 15 minutes.
The skin will start crackling (image 14). I like to watch in amazement as the ugly rubbery skin starts to puff and crackle! Even the crackling sound is so beautiful to hear. Check the video! It is really nice to hear that!
The total roasting time until you see the skin all crackling and crispy is 45-60 minutes.

photo collage of preparing to roast the pork belly.

After it is done, take it out from the oven. Let it cool inside the pan for 30 minutes (image 15). The meat will absorb the juice in the aluminum foil and the skin will settle for its crispiness and crunchiness.
After 30 minutes, take it out from the aluminum foil. You can start cutting the pork belly following the lines that you made in the beginning (image 16).
For the green chili sauce: bring the water to boil. Put fresh green chilis and garlic into boiling water. Do not let the green chilis turn dark, so when the water simmers for a while, take out the chilis. Blend them all together. Serve the crispy pork belly with green chili sauce and coriander leaves.

Tips

Use rock salt or fine sea salt to absorb the moisture in the skin. Do not worry, it will not make the meat too salty.
When you combine baking soda with vinegar, it will bubble. Let the bubble subside before applying to the skin to avoid bitter flavor. This will make the skin soft and crispy.
Boil the skin part for only 5 minutes. The time is enough to make the skin soft enough to prick. If it is too soft, the skin will break easily.
Prick the skin for only 5 mm. Do not poke too deep for it will make the oil underneath the skin ooze out while roasting. This will then prevent the skin from puffing up and crackling.
Apply the baking soda mixture on the skin two times. The first time is before putting the meat in the fridge overnight. And the second time is after removing the bed of salt.
Let the skin stay uncovered in the fridge. This will let the moisture beneath the skin dry up.

FAQs

Ideally, you can keep the marinated pork belly 1 – 2 days in the fridge before roasting. Do not keep it longer than 3 days. The idea is to let the moisture of the skin dry up in the fridge.

Yes, you can. Do not poke too deep into the skin. Just poke into the skin for 5 mm deep.

Yes, you can. Air-fryer system works similar to an oven.

Serving

Serve this crispy pork belly slices with green chili sauce or with Hot English Mustard. Pair with steamed chicken rice and Honey Roasted BBQ Pork.

Storage and Reheating

Store the leftover in an airtight container in the fridge. The next day when you want to eat it again, reheat in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 160°C – 180°C. Take it out from the oven, let it cool for 5 minutes. It should be crispy again.