Siu Yuk

also called siu yook · sio bak · 燒肉 · roast pork belly · crispy skin pork · crispy skin roast pork

The table

2 1/2 lb(1.15 kg; skin on, one thick slab)pork bellyblanch 5 min, dry the skin hardrub the cut faces only, keep the skin drysalt the skin, prick it all over, air-dry uncovered 12 hrroast 325°F (160°C) 1 hr 30 minroast 465°F (240°C) 25 min, rest 15 min, chop through the crackling
2 tspkosher salt
2 tspsugar
1 tspChinese five-spice powder
1/2 tspwhite pepper
1 TbsShaoxing wine
1 tspcoarse sea salt
Tap anything to cross it off.

What to lay out

Everything the recipe asks for, sitting under the step that eats it. Tick each one as you measure it.11 things to get out.

Pans and tools

1blanch 5 min, dry the skin hard

2rub the cut faces only, keep the skin dry

goes in with what step 1 made

3salt the skin, prick it all over, air-dry uncovered 12 hr

goes in with what step 2 made

Cooking it

Tap a step when it is done; the next one lights up.

The clock

Start to finish
at least 14 hr 15 mintwo waits that overlap count once
Needs you
5 minof the steps that give a time

One of the 5 steps never says how long it takes, so both numbers are floors. Nothing here says whether you can walk away, so all 5 min of it is counted as time you are standing over it. The recipe itself says 15 hr.

  1. blanch 5 min, dry the skin hard

    5 minneeds you(assumed)from the start

  2. rub the cut faces only, keep the skin dry

    not timed5 min in

  3. salt the skin, prick it all over, air-dry uncovered 12 hr

    12 hrwalk away5 min in

  4. roast 325°F (160°C) 1 hr 30 min

    1 hr 30 minwalk away12 hr 5 min in

  5. roast 465°F (240°C) 25 min, rest 15 min, chop through the crackling

    40 minwalk away13 hr 35 min in

Drawn to scale, so a long wait really does take up the room it takes. The shortest stretches keep a sliver so they stay visible; their times are printed beside them. The minutes are always the recipe’s own; a dashed edge means we worked out from the step whether you have to be there, and a dotted one means nothing was said, so we assumed you are standing over it.

You'll need oven · pot · sheet pan · skewer

See how it is written
>> title: Siu Yuk
>> category: Stews & Braises
>> tags: pork, chinese, roast, crackling, oven
>> counters: Dim Sum Counter
>> aka: siu yook, sio bak, 燒肉, roast pork belly, crispy skin pork, crispy skin roast pork
>> servings: 6
>> time: 15 hr
>> step.1: blanch 5 min, dry the skin hard
>> step.2: rub the cut faces only, keep the skin dry
>> step.3: salt the skin, prick it all over, air-dry uncovered 12 hr
>> step.4: roast 325°F (160°C) 1 hr 30 min
>> step.5: roast 465°F (240°C) 25 min, rest 15 min, chop through the crackling

Blanch @pork belly{2 1/2%lb}(1.15 kg; skin on, one thick slab) skin-down in a #pot{} of boiling water for ~blanch{5%min}, then lift it out and dry the skin with a cloth until it squeaks.

Rub @kosher salt{2%tsp}, @sugar{2%tsp}, @Chinese five-spice powder{1%tsp}, @white pepper{1/2%tsp} and @Shaoxing wine{1%Tbs} into the meat and the cut sides of @&(~1)belly{}, keeping every grain off the skin — seasoning up there pulls water back into it.

Prick the skin of @&(~1)seasoned belly{} all over with a #skewer{} until it is stippled like a thimble, rub @coarse sea salt{1%tsp} across it, and stand it uncovered on a rack in the fridge to ~dry{12%hr}.

Roast @&(~1)belly{} skin-up on a rack over a foil-lined #sheet pan{} in a 325°F (160°C) #oven{} for ~roast{1 1/2%hr}, until the meat is tender and the skin is dull and tight.

Turn the #oven{} up to 465°F (240°C) and blast @&(~1)pork{} for ~roast{25%min}, until the skin has popped into blisters right across, then ~rest{15%min} and chop it down through the crackling into 1-in squares with a heavy cleaver. The overnight in the fridge is the recipe; a damp skin steams under the heat and stays leather.