Crispy Roast Pork Belly (Siu Yuk)

Siu yuk, roast pork belly with crackling skin, is the proud neighbor of char siu in every Cantonese barbecue shop window. The skin is scored, dried, and roasted until it blisters into a shattering crackling crust, while the meat underneath stays juicy and perfumed with five-spice. It is the dish for special dinners, served warm with mustard or hoisin, and home cooks who master it never order it out again. Let the belly rest before slicing so the juices stay put.

Crackling that shatters like glass

The crust is the whole point — deep-blistered, shatter-crisp, and lightly salted, giving way to tender, savory layers of meat and fat. Salt on the skin, a vinegar wipe, and a dry spell in the fridge are the secrets to the blisters. Slice it thick, serve it hot, and watch it disappear before anything else on the table. Pair it with char siu and you have the full barbecue-shop spread at home.

Craving more? Explore all Cantonese Kitchen recipes.

This dish leans on the condiments covered in Beginner’s Guide to Asian Sauces & Seasonings.

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