Description
A massive golden meat block hanging alongside Char Siu and Roast Duck in the windows of Hong Kong BBQ specialty shops (Siu Mei). A block of pork belly is rubbed with Five-Spice, its skin punctured with countless tiny holes, and roasted in an oven until the skin turns into a 'rock-hard, shatteringly crisp cookie (Cui Pi)'.
Restaurants serving Cui Pi Shao Rou (Cantonese Crispy Roast Pork Belly)
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We are researching restaurants that serve this dish.
On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Skin-on pork belly(block)
- Five-Spice
- White pepper
- Salt
- Sugar
- White vinegar(or baking soda)
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- (Meat Prep) Take a skin-on pork belly block. Boil skin-side down for a few mins to soften the skin.
- (Spice Rub) Score the red meat deeply. Rub heavily with salt, sugar, Five-Spice, and white pepper (*NEVER get spice on the skin).
- (Cui Pi Secret Weapon: Meat Tenderizer) This is the ultimate artisan skill. Using a bundle of sharp needles (or a fork), puncture the skin surface relentlessly with [countless microscopic holes, leaving no gaps, as if avenging your parents]. This allows subcutaneous fat to escape during roasting, making the skin pop like popcorn into a crisp.
- Rub the skin with white vinegar (or baking soda water) and salt. Leave in the fridge overnight (or under a fan) to 'dry the skin completely bone-hard'.
- (Roasting) Wrap the sides/bottom in aluminum foil (exposing only the skin) and place in a 200°C+ high-heat oven.
- Pack a thick crust of salt directly over the skin and bake. Halfway, remove the hardened salt crust (this extracts all skin moisture).
- Finally, crank the heat higher until the skin bubbles, blisters, and chars into a shatteringly crisp golden glass.
- Cool slightly, then cleave into bite-sized squares.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Complex sweet aroma of Five-Spice and pure depth of pork fat、豚の脂の純粋なコク
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
(Dry the skin of a pork belly block and roast in a home oven)
Pairing
Cold Beer / Mustard(for dipping)
Trivia
[Trivia] The flagship of 'Siu Mei' (Roast meats) hanging in the glass windows of Hong Kong stalls. Achieving the crisp skin demands incredibly difficult 'drying' and 'temperature control'. It is an artistic meat dish considered the barometer measuring a Cantonese chef's skill.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] When served, you see a beautiful three-layer cross-section. Bite in, and the top skin shatters with a violent 'CRACK! CRUNCH!'. Next, the pure white middle fat melts softly. Finally, the bottom lean meat, saturated with Five-Spice, releases its umami. In Guangdong, connoisseurs dip it slightly in 'mustard' or 'white sugar' to change the flavor profile.
Allergen
Pork