Siu yuk: dry skin and separately seasoned meat
Cantonese roast pork belly has crisp skin above layers of meat and fat. Keep wet seasoning on the meat side and dry the skin before roasting. A browned surface is not the same as an evenly crisp skin, and neither establishes the meat’s safe temperature.
Ingredients and overnight preparation
Made With Lau’s batch uses about 725 g skin-on pork belly. Meat seasoning is half a tsp five-spice, a third tsp black pepper, a quarter tsp white pepper, 1 tsp garlic salt and half a tsp salt; add 2 tsp ground bean sauce and 1 tsp sugar. For the skin, prepare 1 tbsp salt and 1 tsp rice vinegar. The roasting pan takes half a US cup water.
Briefly blanch the skin for about one minute and the meat for 30-45 seconds. Dry carefully. Prick the skin without piercing into the meat, score the meat side without cutting through the skin, and apply meat seasonings there. Make a foil cradle that leaves the skin exposed. Salt the skin for five minutes, wipe it dry, apply vinegar and refrigerate for 10-12 hours, protected from other food.
Use one oven sequence
For the source’s full-size oven sequence, preheat to 190 C, then roast at about 175 C for 20-25 minutes with the measured water in the pan. Raise to about 205 C for a further 30-35 minutes, watching the skin closely near the end. Do not combine this sequence with a toaster-oven schedule.
Check the meat with a thermometer away from bone and the skin layer. Whole pork roast needs at least 63 C followed by a minimum three-minute rest; continue cooking if it has not reached that temperature. Rest before slicing, then use a sturdy board and sharp knife. Do not handle a hot slab by its brittle skin.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is only part of the skin crisp?
Check for uneven thickness, wet patches and uneven oven heat. Turning the tray can address uneven browning; adding wet marinade over the skin cannot.
Can I skip the overnight drying?
That changes a key preparation step. This method is not written as a same-hour roast; use a recipe designed for your shorter schedule instead of expecting the same skin texture.
Serve and store
Refrigerate leftovers promptly in shallow containers within two hours, or one hour above 32 C. Reheated leftovers should reach 74 C. Serve alongside cured-meat claypot rice or winter melon soup.
Recipe: Made With Lau’s siu yuk. Safety: pork and leftover temperatures and FDA handling guidance.