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Chinese Cured Pork Belly
5 from 21 votes

Chinese Cured Pork Belly

Chinese Cured Pork Belly is prepared by marinating boneless pork belly pieces in a mixture of soy sauces, salt, sugar, cooking rice wine, and traditional spices like five-spice powder and garlic powder, along with ground ginger. After an extended marinating period of one to two days in the refrigerator, the pork is threaded and hung to dry for about a week in a dry, moderately sunny environment, allowing the flavors to concentrate and the texture to develop.

Prep Time
7 d 1 hr
Cook Time
10 mins
Servings: 20
Calories: 16 kcal
Course: Side Dish, Main Course
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese

Ingredients

  • 10 pieces pork belly (Boneless cut around 4.26 pounds)
Marinated Sauce:
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup cooking rice wine
  • ¼ teaspoon five-spice powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 lice ginger (Grind)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Remove the boneless cut pork belly from the package. It is best to choose half fat and half meat. (This is 4.26 pounds and has 10 pieces. You can get 3-4 pounds of pork belly.)
  2. Put the pork belly into the plastic ziplock bag. (I prefer to use a ziplock bag to marinate because it’s easier and less messy.)
  3. Pour ¼ cup of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of salt, ¼ cup of sugar, ¼ cup of cooking rice wine, ¼ teaspoon of five spices, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and 1 slice of grind ginger into a bowl. Then, mix it well.
  4. After that, pour the marinade sauce from step 3 into the bag of pork belly. Then, zip and tighten the bag. Massage the bag of meat and make sure the sauce covers each pork belly. Let the pork belly marinade in the refrigerator for at least a full day (24 hours). Marinated for 1-2 days is ok. Remember to lay the marinated pork belly bag flat in the refrigerator (12 hours) and flip the other side at night before going to sleep (12 hours). 
  5. Cut 10 of the 36 inches long strings. (Because I have 10 pieces of pork belly.) Then, thread a string through the needle and tie the end.  
  6. Next, take a piece of marinated pork belly and thread through the meat part a couple times to secure the meat. Cut the needle out and tie the string. See the video below the recipe card for detail.
  7. Repeat steps 5-6 until the marinated pork belly is tied with a string.
  8. After, put the safety pins through the strings. (You can use any hooks that help hanging is ok.) 
  9. The following, hang the marinated pork belly outside in the early morning until dark at night. Then, I put them back in the refrigerator cover with a plastic wrap. I repeat this process for 7 days on average depending on the weather and area. (The first day hanging the marinated pork belly out, I usually put a plastic cover under the meat because it prevents the liquid from dripping on the floor.) 
  10. These Chinese bacon are hanging outside 2-3 days on a mostly sunny day, humidity was around 56%-76% and wind was around 5-9 mph.
  11. On days 4-5, hanging the lap yuk outside. (On a sunny day, humidity was around 51%-69% and wind was around 4-7 mph.) You can see a layer of oil shiny on the meat. It’s a good indicator that the bacon is almost done. 
  12. Chinese cured pork belly, lap yuk, is ready after hanging outside for 7 days.
  13. You can cut it into slices. (When the lap yuk is dried and cold, it is hard to cut.)
  14. Therefore, a lot of people like to wash the lap yuk with warm or hot water. Then, put lap yuk on a plate and steam it for 10 minutes. (After the water is boiling, put the lap yuk in and account for 10 minutes.)
  15. After steaming lap yuk for 10 minutes, it is softer.
  16. And, steamed lap yuk is easier to cut. The taste is even better.

Notes

  • Select pork belly with approximately equal parts fat and lean for balanced texture and flavor.
  • Marinate pork belly in a well-mixed sauce and ensure the meat is evenly coated by massaging the bag and flipping it after 12 hours.
  • After marinating for 1-2 days, thread the pork belly through the meat portion to hang it securely for drying.
  • Hang the pork belly in a dry, cool area with some sunlight for about 5-7 days, adjusting time based on local humidity and temperature.
  • Watch for a shiny layer of oil on the curing pork as an indicator of readiness.
  • Store cured pork belly wrapped in parchment and sealed in a ziplock bag in the freezer for long-term storage, or refrigerate for short periods.

Nutrition Information

Calories 16kcal (1%) Carbohydrates 3g (1%) Protein 1g (2%) Fat 1g (2%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g (6%) Monounsaturated Fat 1g (5%) Cholesterol 1mg (0%) Sodium 961mg (40%) Potassium 14mg (0%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 3g (6%) Vitamin A 1IU (0%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 2mg (0%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 20 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 16

% Daily Value*

Calories 16kcal 1%
Carbohydrates 3g 1%
Protein 1g 2%
Fat 1g 2%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 1mg 0%
Sodium 961mg 40%
Potassium 14mg 0%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 3g 6%
Vitamin A 1IU 0%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 2mg 0%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.