This has got to be one of my favorite things in the world to eat.
For the LAM and I, it is something we must order when we go to any (Hong Kong style) Chinese restaurant. Fat little cubes of juicy pork and crackling. I mean, whats not to love?
While we always order this at restaurants, I do admit that I have always felt that the prices charged simply do not justify the portions we get.
So what is a (stingy) home cook going to do? Well, make some sio bak at home, naturally.
Let me tell you, this is a REALLY EASY dish to prepare at home.
Don’t believe me? Well, just read on!
Making sio bak is a 2-day process. I said the process was “easy”. I didn’t say it was “fast” haha. But it is worth it, trust me.
Start by making the marinade. Whisk together preserved red beacurd (紅腐乳/南乳), the juice of the red beancurd, salt, oyster sauce, sugar, five spice powder Shaoxing wine, and white pepper in a bowl.
Poke the skin with what I call an “Instrument of Torture” (a special skewer which you can buy in any plastic-bucket shop). There is no need to poke too deeply.
The more holes you poke, the more blistering there would be later.
So just keep poking.
Turn the pork over, and cut some slits on the meat.
Slather on the marinade.
Make sure that the marinade gets onto the sides too.
Turn the meat back around. Dry the skin thoroughly with a kitchen towel.
Pour the remaining marinate into a tray/ dish that is about the same size as the meat. Carefully transfer the meat into the tray/ dish, with the skin facing up. Make sure that the skin is REALLY dry. Place the entire tray (uncovered) in the fridge over night for the skin to dry out.
Before roasting, take the pork out of the fridge and place the tray on the kitchen counter for about an hour for the meat to come to room temperature. Near the end of the hour, preheat your oven to 220°C.
It is important that
1. If you have a grilling function on your oven, use that setting.
2. If not, you can still roast the pork, but place the oven shelf closer to the top element.
Poke holes on the skin again using the instrument of torture. Lift the meat onto a wire rack set over a tray which has been lined with aluminium foil.
Apply a thick layer of salt over the DRY skin. I used kosher salt but you can use whatever salt you prefer.
Roast the pork for 30 minutes at 220°C. At the end of this, reduce the temperature to 180°C and roast a further 45 minutes.
Remove the pork from the oven. If you have a grill function on your oven, switch to that. If not, pre-heat the oven to 230°C.
Meanwhile, carefully scrape the salt off the pork with a knife. Try not to tear the skin.
Return the pork into the oven for about 20 minutes. The skin will start to crackle and pop.
Keep an eye on the pork during the last 10 minutes. If there is smoke, open the oven door to let the smoke out.
JUST. DO. NOT. PANIC.
Once done, let the pork rest for 15 minutes (this is important!! Leave the meat alone!) before cutting to serve.This cost me less than $25, inclusive of the cost of the meat (2kg of meat here) and the marinade.
Talk about value for money!
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- 1-1.4kg pork belly
- 2 pieces preserved red bean curd (紅腐乳/南乳)
- 3 tablespoons juice of preserved red bean curd
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons five spice powder
- 2 teaspoons white pepper
- 1 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- Start by making the marinate. Whisk together preserved red beacurd, the juice of the red beancurd, salt, oyster sauce, sugar, five spice powder Shaoxing wine, and white pepper in a bowl.
- Poke the skin with an Instrument of Torture (a special skewer which you can buy in any plastic-bucket shop). There is no need to poke too deeply.
- The more holes you poke, the more blistering there would be later. So just keep poking.
- Turn the meat over, and cut some slits on the meat. Slather on the marinade. Make sure that the marinade gets onto the sides too.
- Turn the meat back around. Dry the skin thoroughly with a kitchen towel.
- Pour the remaining marinate into a tray/ dish that is about the size as the meat. Carefully transfer the meat into the tray/ dish, with the skin facing up. Make sure that the skin is REALLY dry. Place the entire tray (uncovered) in the fridge over night for the skin to dry out.
- Before roasting, take the pork out of the fridge and place the tray on the kitchen counter for about an hour for the meat to come to room temperature. Near the of the hour, preheat your oven to 220°C.
- Lift the meat onto a wire rack set over a tray which has been lined with aluminium foil. Poke holes on the skin again using the instrument of torture.
- Apply a thick layer of salt over the DRY skin.
- Roast the pork for 30 minutes at 220°C. At the end of this, reduce the temperature to 180°C and roast a further 45 minutes.
- Remove the pork from the oven. If you have a grill function on your oven, switch to that. If not, pre-heat the oven to 230°C.
- Meanwhile, carefully scrape the salt off the pork with a knife. Try not to tear the skin.
- Return the pork into the oven for about 20 minutes. The skin will start to crackle and pop.
- Keep an eye on the pork during the last 10 minutes. If there is smoke, oven the oven door to let the smoke out.
- Once done, let the pork rest for 15 minutes (this is important!! Leave the meat alone!) before cutting to serve.
Hi Diana, Happy New Year to u and your family! Your roast pork looks really good…. esp that crackling!
Thank you so much! Happy New Year to you and yours too 🙂 🙂
Where can I get preserve red bean curd?
Thanks!
At any wet market or chinese supermarkets like Sheng Shong!
OMG!!!! Sio Bak! I love it, Diana! No wonder I am such a pig! hah..hah,,, But really, I still find it quite a bit of work. Don’t know when I will be industrious enough to roast this myself.
This is an easy recipe Phong Hong – that’s why I like it. No need to blanch, no need to slather on vinegar… 😛
Hi Diana
Its a Sign!!!!!!
I have been wanting to make siu bak for the longest time!! I was just staring at the pork belly at ntuc this morning debating with myself.
I m going to try this this weekend! Btw, I see alot of recipe asks for the salt. What is the use? Can the roasted salt be reused after that? Find it wasteful :s
Hi Cecilia
See! This is fate! LOL.
The salt draws the moisture out of the skin, hence allowing lots of cracking to form later. No, the salt will be hard after use (has absorbed moisture) so it cannot be used any more.
Hi Diana,
Your sio bak is making me drool!! Looks really, really, mouth watering! What a delicious start to a delicious year!
Happy New Year!!
Thank you so much Joyce!! Here’s to a great cooking and baking year! 🙂
Hi Diana,
Ahemm … when I eat sio bak … I will cut out the roasted skin + fat layer and pass it to whoever… Hee hee. But I must say your sio bak is so perfectly roasted like some famous sio bak stall kind. Great start with this mouth watering roasted sio bak !
Karen, let us eat sio bak together! I am MORE than happy to take all your skin+fat!!! 😛
hi. May I know will the crispy skin become soggy after 1-2hrs? I had tried many times with different recipe, but the skin become soggy after 1-2hrs. Do you know what went wrong?
Hi CKee I made in the morning and it stayed crispy all the way till evening. Only thing is cannot place in fridge or microwave it!
Hi, may I know how much salt is use to apply onto the skin, tq
Hi until it is all covered. About 1.5kg for 2 kg of meat.
Woah!! definitely trying this. It’s one of my 40 recipes that I want to try this year! Thanks!!
I’ve just finished roasting the pork, unfortunately my oven roaster is functioning well, my roast pork slightly burnt on the sides, BUT it’s taste very good, except the skin didn’t crack well. Overall very happy with your recipe, thanks.
Hi Janice that is a shame that your oven was not performing at 100% – which was why the skin did not crackle as much. But I am glad it still tasted good. 🙂
Sorry I meant oven roaster not functioning well..
Will do b4 CNY, for CNY, and forever after CNY!
I enjoy cooking for the family & my children love to eat.
Like to read receipes & experiment
I must try this !!!
Hi Diana, thanks for sharing the recipe. May I know what is preserved red bean curd in Chinese? Many thanks in advance.
Hi LFong it’s 紅腐乳/南乳
Hi Diana
I do re use the salt for soup.
Wow Susan, thank for sharing – I didn’t know the salt can be used again!
I’m gonna try thus tonight! But just one question. How to adjust the cooking time for say 600g of meat? Do I halve the timings or is there a minimum?
Hi Shayne
You can convert the timing proportionately, but you will still need to keep an eye on the meat because all ovens are different.
Wow!! Thanks for sharing such a detailed dish with step-by-step photography. Showed it to my mom & she was so happy. Finally 😀 Thumbs up for u
That is awesome Elaine! 😀
hi just wanted to ask, is there anyway to reduce the saltiness of the pork once cooked?
Hi Janet. no there isn’t. But you can decrease the salt in the marinade.
Thanks for the reply, maybe I will try that but it seems that the crispy skin is where the salty taste is from.
Thank you anyway
The salt draws out the moisture – did you try using kosher salt or sea salt? They are less salty than table or rock salt
Hi, do you think if we skip the poking of the skin before covering it with salt will help to decrease the saltiness.
Hi Geraldine I don’t think that will help. I used kosher salt which is less salty. Alternatively, you can use the other method that uses vinegar instead of covering with salt.
Just Curious… is Vinegar required?
Because most of recipes online requires Vinegar to apply on the skin.
Please advise
Hi there for this recipe you don’t need vinegar. 🙂
Hi, if I were to use the grill function, should I grill it for 30+45mins, Before removing the salt? And grill another 20mins?
No, the pork will burn if you use the grill function throughout. Only when the pork is cooked then you grill to crisp the skin.
Hi, what function do you use when u roast the pork belly?
Thank you for your receipe. My first attempt and was awesome.
Awesome! It is so rewarding seeing the skin crackle and pop 🙂
Can I use the normal preserved branches instead of the red ones? Will it have the same effect?
I mean normal preserved beancurd
The taste will be very different if you do.
Hi, I made this….the skin blistered very well all over and I even left it a while to get it charred all over BUT I don’t know why the skin is not crispy at all. I am very puzzled. Can you advise where did I do wrong and how to get it crispy? Thans!
Hi Ai Li unfortunately I can’t tell you what went wrong because I was not there when you made it and I don’t know what you did/ didn’t do. Try again?
Hi Diana
Which function of the oven you use before switching to the grill function? My oven does not have a roast function. Thanks
Hi I used top and bottom heat
Hihi thanks for sharing this receipt . Tried it yesterday . Very yummy but a bit salty . I think cos I used normal salt . Can I check where do you buy kosher salt ?
At CS or Jason’s!
Hi do I have to keep the pork in the top or bottom of fridge. Thx
bottom is colder but top will do too if you have no space.
A winner recipe ! My family enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing
I am wondering whether is it possible to use airfryer? If yes, what temperature and duration.
Hi yes of course. I have no idea about temp/time as I do not use my AF to make this! Sorry.