Air-Fried Crispy Cantonese Roast Pork
Master authentic Cantonese-style crispy roast pork belly at home using just an air fryer, featuring crackling golden skin and juicy, tender meat in 5 simple steps.
Cantonese roast pork, known as siu yuk, is celebrated for its iconic glass-like crackling skin and perfectly layered tender meat. Traditionally roasted in hanging charcoal ovens, this simplified home version captures that signature crunch using a clever combination of blanching, vinegar-soda treatment, and a two-stage air fryer roast.
Ingredients
- 1 kg pork belly
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp cooking wine
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp soda powder
- 3 tbsp coarse salt
Instructions
- 1Mix the Marinade
Add the oyster sauce, cooking wine, salt, and garlic powder into a small metal mixing bowl, then stir thoroughly until completely combined.
Tip: Ensure the salt is fully dissolved in the liquid ingredients before applying it to the meat for an even flavor. - 2Blanch and Dry the Pork
Submerge the block of raw pork belly into a pot of boiling water and blanch for about 3 minutes to tighten the skin. Remove and pat the skin completely dry.
Tip: Make sure to pat the skin completely dry after blanching so it achieves the ultimate crispiness later. - 3Puncture the Skin
Take a meat tenderizer or pricking tool and repeatedly puncture the pork skin across the entire surface to release trapped moisture.
Tip: Dont be afraid to puncture deeply; piercing the skin releases trapped moisture so it can blister and crunch up. - 4Score the Meat
Turn the pork belly over and use a sharp knife to cut deep parallel slits into the meat side to help it absorb the marinade.
Tip: Cut deep slits without slicing all the way through the skin layer. - 5Apply the Marinade
Brush the prepared seasoning mixture onto the scored meat side of the pork belly, giving it a good massage so it penetrates deeply.
Tip: Ensure the marinade gets deep into the scored cuts for maximum flavor. - 6Wrap in Foil
Wrap the sides of the seasoned pork belly securely with aluminum foil, leaving only the top skin layer completely exposed.
Tip: Wrapping the sides prevents the meat from drying out while concentrating heat on the skin. - 7Brush Vinegar and Soda
Combine white vinegar and soda powder, then take a brush and apply this mixture evenly over the top surface of the pork skin.
Tip: The combination of vinegar and baking soda helps react with the skin to dehydrate it and achieve maximum crunch during roasting. - 8Add Salt Crust
Sprinkle a thin, even layer of salt directly over the top of the vinegar-brushed pork skin.
Tip: Do not make the salt layer too thick; just enough to cover the skin completely to draw out moisture. - 9Low-Temperature Dry-Out
Place the foil-wrapped pork belly into the air fryer basket and roast at 90 degrees Celsius for 90 minutes to dry out the skin surface.
Tip: Make sure the foil walls come up high enough around the sides to protect the meat from drying out while keeping the skin exposed. - 10High-Temperature Roast
Remove the excess hardened salt from the pork skin using the edge of a spoon, then roast at 200 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes until golden and crispy.
Tip: Scrape gently so you do not damage the delicate blistered skin underneath before cranking up the heat.
