Coconut Free Crispy Pork Belly (Siu Yuk)

Total time9 hr 45 min

Prep time30 min

Cook time1 hr 15 min

Coconut Free Crispy Pork Belly (Siu Yuk)

Few things in the world of roasted meat can compete with the sound of crackling pork skin shattering under a knife. This Cantonese-style roasted pork belly delivers that deeply blistered, golden crust alongside tender, spiced meat — and every single ingredient in it is naturally free of coconut in any form. The marinade leans on garlic-infused oil, tamari, and five-spice powder to build layers of savory, aromatic flavor without any tropical oils or hidden additives sneaking in. The real magic happens in two stages: a long, uncovered rest in the fridge to dry out the skin, followed by a high-heat blast in the oven that turns all that careful prep into an audibly crispy shell. Baking soda and rice wine vinegar work together on the surface to encourage those signature bubbles, while the salt crust draws out moisture overnight so the final roast is as dramatic as it looks. Sliced into thick pieces with a sharp cleaver and served alongside a simple tamari dip and fresh scallion greens, this is the kind of dish that makes a table go quiet in the best possible way. It takes patience, but none of the steps are complicated — just follow the process and the oven does the heavy lifting.

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Ingredients

6 servings

For the pork

2 ½ lb skin-on pork belly, in one slab

For the marinade

1 tbsp garlic-infused oil
FODY Low FODMAP Garlic-Infused Olive Oil (250ml)Private Selection Infused Olive Oil Garlic Garlic Gold USDA Certified Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil Infused with Garlic Low FODMAP Tantillo Roasted Garlic Infused Avocado Oil Bari Olive Oil Flavor Infused Garlic - 8.45 Fl. Oz.
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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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