Beef Free Crispy Pork Belly (Siu Yuk)
Few things in the pork world hit quite like a slab of belly with skin so shatteringly crisp it crackles when you tap it with a spoon. The secret here is a multi-step skin prep — aggressive poking, a vinegar-and-baking-soda wash, and a long overnight salt cure that pulls out every last drop of moisture before the pork ever sees the oven. The meat side gets a deeply savory rub of five-spice, white pepper, garlic-infused oil, and tamari, so every bite delivers that aromatic, slightly smoky backbone you want from a proper Cantonese-style roast. A two-stage roast — low and slow to cook the meat through, then a blast of high heat to blister the skin into golden, bubbly crackling — is what separates truly great results from the merely good. Since the whole dish is built around pork belly and pantry staples, there's no need to navigate swaps or substitutions; it's naturally free of beef in every component, from the marinade to the dipping tamari. Slice it into pieces thick enough to show off both the lacquered meat and the crackled skin, scatter on some scallion greens, and serve it while it's still warm and loud.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
For the pork
- 2 ½ lb skin-on pork belly, in one slab
For the marinade
- 1 tbsp garlic-infused oil
- 1 tbsp tamari
- 1 tsp five-spice powder
- 1 tsp ground white pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp fine salt
For the skin
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp coarse sea salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
For serving
- 3 stalks scallion, green tops only, thinly sliced (optional)
- 1 tbsp tamari, for dipping (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Pat the pork belly completely dry with paper towels. Using a sharp skewer, fork, or the tip of a paring knife, poke the skin all over — aim for at least 50–60 punctures across the entire surface, going no deeper than the fat layer beneath the skin. This is the most important step for achieving a bubbly, crackling crust.
- 2
Flip the pork belly skin-side down. In a small bowl, stir together the garlic-infused oil, tamari, five-spice powder, white pepper, sugar, and fine salt until combined. Rub this marinade evenly over the meat and fat sides only — keep it off the skin entirely.
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