Steamed pork belly is a classic Cantonese dish that results in incredibly tender and succulent meat when done right. The combination of gentle moist heat from the steam and the fat marbled throughout the pork belly leads to pork that is fall-apart tender. When properly steamed, the fatty layers become soft and gelatinous while the meat takes on an irresistible texture.
However in order to achieve pork belly perfection, nailing the steaming time is absolutely crucial. Understeam and the pork will be tough and chewy. Oversteam and you’ll end up with mushy meat and melted fat. Striking the ideal balance is essential for pork belly with the ideal mouthfeel.
So how long should you steam pork belly to attain that sublime texture? In this comprehensive guide we’ll provide everything you need to know about steaming times for pork belly. With the proper techniques you’ll be able to make restaurant-quality steamed pork belly in the comfort of your own kitchen.
Overview of Steaming Times for Pork Belly
There are a few key factors that impact steaming times for pork belly:
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Thickness and weight of the pork belly – Thicker cuts of pork belly take more time to steam through to the center. Chunks less than 1 inch thick may only need 30-45 minutes whereas 2-3 inch slabs require upwards of 1-2 hours.
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Amount of fat – Fattier pork belly pieces with higher marbling need longer steaming times for the fat to properly render and soften. Leaner cuts take less time.
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Steaming method – Traditional stove top steamers diffuse heat differently than electric pressure cookers, requiring adjustments in time.
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Size of steamer – Larger steamer baskets that can hold more food cook more quickly than smaller ones.
As a general guideline, here are typical steaming times:
- 1-inch thick pork belly slices – Steam for 45 minutes to 1 hour
- 2 lb boneless pork belly – Steam for 1 to 1 1/2 hours
- 3 lb bone-in pork belly – Steam for 1 1/2 to 2 hours
However, always rely on physical cues rather than just going by time alone. Using an instant-read thermometer to check internal temperature is highly recommended. The pork should reach at least 145°F for food safety.
Keys to Perfectly Steamed Pork Belly
Follow these tips every time for fork-tender steamed pork belly success:
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Choose an evenly thick cut – Try to select a pork belly slab that has uniform thickness. This helps ensure even cooking since thinner areas won’t oversteam.
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Trim excess fat and skin – Removing large swaths of fat and skin allows the steaming to better penetrate the meat itself rather than focussing on melting fat. This results in more concentrated pork flavor.
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Cut into large chunks – Cutting the pork belly into cubes of around 2 inches or so makes it easier for the steam to access the interior. 1-inch chunks risk oversteaming the exterior before the middle is cooked through.
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Marinate overnight – Marinating the pork belly for 8-12 hours helps tenderize and infuse flavor. Use a mix of soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, five spice powder, salt, and sugar.
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Pat dry before steaming – Be sure to drain off any marinade liquid and pat the pork belly pieces dry with paper towels. This allows for maximum steam penetration and helps the meat take on color from any marinade.
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Use a steamer basket – Placing the pork in a basket suspended above water allows the steam to circulate completely around each piece for very even cooking.
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Don’t overcrowd – Leave some space between the pork belly chunks in the steamer basket. Packing too tightly can cause them to stick together and inhibit exposure to steam.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Follow this simple process for perfectly steamed pork belly every time:
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Choose a 2-3 lb slab of pork belly that has evenly layered fat and meat. Trim off any large excess skin and fat.
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Cut the pork belly into approximate 2-inch cubes. This size helps the interior cook through before the exterior is overdone.
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Make a marinade of soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, five spice powder, salt, and sugar. Marinate the cubes for 8-12 hours in the fridge.
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Drain off the marinade completely and pat the pork dry with paper towels. Place in a single layer in a steamer basket without overcrowding.
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Fill the steamer pot with a few inches of water, keeping it below the bottom of the basket. Bring the water to a vigorous boil.
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Place the basket of pork in the pot, cover, and steam for 1 to 2 hours, checking the water level occasionally and replenishing to prevent drying out.
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Use an instant-read thermometer to check for doneness. The pork should reach an internal temperature of at least 145°F.
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Once fully cooked, immediately remove the steamer basket and serve the pork belly while hot.
Checking for Doneness
With the lengthy steaming time for pork belly, it’s absolutely vital to accurately determine when it’s ready. Look for these signs of perfect doneness:
- The meat has lost any pink color and turned opaque throughout
- Juices run completely clear when pierced with a knife tip
- The texture feels fork-tender with some bounce when gently pressed
- The fatty layers are translucent and wobbly but not totally melted out
- It has reached the FDA-recommended safe minimum internal temperature of 145°F
If the pork belly seems underdone, return it to the steamer for 10-15 minutes at a time until properly cooked through. An instant-read thermometer takes the guesswork out of doneness.
Steaming Tools for Best Results
Having the proper kitchen tools helps ensure steaming success for pork belly:
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Steamer basket – Allows steam to surround the meat evenly while keeping it suspended above the water.
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Steamer pot with tight lid – The lid traps steam for efficient cooking and moisture retention.
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Metal or bamboo steamer – These materials withstand prolonged steaming and provide ventilation.
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Parchment paper – Lining the steamer basket with parchment prevents sticking and enables easy removal.
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Meat thermometer – Confirms the pork has reached the minimum safe internal temperature after steaming.
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Kitchen timer – Allows accurately tracking steaming times to prevent over or undercooking.
Serving Suggestions for Steamed Pork Belly
Once steaming is complete, the possibilities are endless for how to serve succulent steamed pork belly:
- Slice and serve over rice, noodles, or congee
- Cube and add to soups, hot pots, or fried rice
- Sandwich slices in Chinese steamed buns
- Pair with tangy dipping sauces like ponzu, vinegars, or sweet chili sauce
- Use in stir fries with veggies like bok choy or peppers
- Garnish congee or clay pot rice dishes
However you choose to use it, properly steamed pork belly is delicious and versatile for all types of Chinese recipes.
FAQs About Steaming Pork Belly
Let’s summarize some frequently asked questions about steaming pork belly:
What’s the best cut to use?
Choose pork belly for its marbling of fat and meat. Avoid leaner cuts like pork tenderloin.
How long for a 2 lb pork belly?
About 1 to 1 1/2 hours is needed to steam a 2 lb boneless slab.
What if my pork belly is 3 inches thick?
Very thick cuts over 2 inches may require upwards of 2 hours to fully steam through.
Can you steam a whole pork belly slab?
It’s better to cut into smaller chunks to help the steam penetrate effectively.
Is marinating required?
Not strictly required, but marinating for 8-12 hours makes the pork far more flavorful and tender.
What temperature should it reach?
Always cook pork to the safe minimum internal temperature of 145°F.
Can you steam in an Instant Pot?
Yes, steam for 45-60 minutes then use natural pressure release. Adjust time as needed.
Conclusion
When it comes to achieving the perfect texture and mouthfeel, precise steaming times are critical for pork belly. For 2-3 pound slabs, aim for 1 to 2 hours of steaming based on thickness. Always rely on visual and temperature cues to confirm doneness rather than just going by time. With the right techniques and equipment, you can enjoy restaurant-caliber pork belly without leaving home. Just be sure not to over or understeam when seeking pork belly perfection.
Choosing Ingredients for Xianshaobai
Because xianshaobai is a time-consuming dish to prepare, it’s more often reserved for holidays or special occasions. Therefore, when we do make it, I appreciate the excuse to pull out some nice stuff. Particularly in a dish with so few ingredients involved, quality counts and makes a noticeable difference. (Although nothing replaces good technique—keep reading!).
For this recipe, you’ll need a Chinese light and dark soy sauce. I pulled the super-premium handstirred Zhongba light soy sauce as a special touch, but feel free to use the 360 everyday version, my usual go-to. Either of these are already dramatically better than any soy sauce you’ll find elsewhere (just look at the reviews). Similarly, the Pearl River Bridge in (the back of) my pantry hasn’t seen the light of day since The Mala Market started carrying Zhongba’s dark soy sauce. Especially with dark soy, a little goes a long way.
Yibin 碎米芽菜 (suìmǐyácài) makes up the bulk of this dish’s non-pork belly portion. Pickled yacai is made by drying, salting, and double-fermenting the tender stems of mustard greens. Our ready-to-eat package with minced stems is called suimiyacai, which means “broken rice” in English. We love these packets because they don’t need to be soaked or rinsed before going from the pantry to the wok for stir-fry dishes. We rinse the extra salt off of the mustard greens for this dish because they are used as a vegetable bed and not just as a seasoning. If we didn’t, the dish would taste too salty.
Sichuan’s fermented black soybeans, 豆豉 (dòuchǐ), are plump, moist “umami bombs” we add to the saucy yacai base for a concentrated kick of flavor that stands up against the fatty pork belly. Unlike the dried Cantonese varieties that require rinsing before use, these are also ready to go straight from the bag.
The most important thing is to choose a wide strip of pork belly with as many even layers of meat and fat as you can. This isn’t always possible, but if you’re choosing between several strips, keep it in mind.
Begin by washing and rinsing the yacai two to three time until water runs mostly clear. You may also let it soak for a couple minutes to remove more of the saltiness if desired. Drain and set aside to dry while you process the pork belly.
Sichuan’s Ninth Great Bowl
I rarely eat in my dreams. Even when I have been capable of lucid dreaming, I never recall eating. I do daydream, however—constantly—about the creamy, succulent slices of pork belly layered like so many perfect pleats across a steaming bed of Yibin yacai in traditional Sichuan 咸烧白 (xiánshāobái). Xianshaobai is a prayer sung in pork fat (too much lean meat and the magic disappears): classic, class-defying comfort food. No one is above xianshaobai.
Xianshaobai is regional, like dumplings and 粽子 (zòngzi): The exact composition and style may vary, but the structure and preparation are beholden to the same narrow, recognizable formula. Popularized by coastal regions as 梅菜扣肉 (méicài kòuròu), steamed pork belly over some variation of preserved mustard stem stretches back centuries. Yunnan too makes its own version called 千张肉 (qiānzhāngròu). But with shelf-friendly packets of Yibin yacai that don’t require soaking and rehydrating like dry meicai, Sichuan xianshaobai (“hanshaobai” in dialect) is not just nolstalgic, it’s also more accessible.
Xianshaobai is an important part of Sichuan’s 九大碗 (jiǔdàwǎn), colloquially 九斗碗 (jiǔdòuwǎn), translated as “Nine Great Bowls. “Jiudouwan gatherings are a rural folk banquet tradition for weddings, births, the birthdays of the elderly, and other special events.” These originated in fields where a whole village could gather, cook and celebrate together. “Dou” in Sichuan dialect means “big bowl,” so “nine bucket bowls” refers to how much food there is at these events.
Based on what I’ve learned, the “碗” in ± stands for “蒸碗” (zhēngwǎn), a type of clay bowl used for steaming. In the past, jiudouwan banquets had all kinds of steamed chicken, pork, beef, and other meats that were raised on the farm, along with whatever fresh vegetables were available. There are even people who say it’s not a real jiudouwan banquet if the three main steamed bowls of fěnzhēngròu, xianshaobai, and tiánshāobái aren’t served. (In the meatless past days, these three steamed dishes may have been more like taro, eggplant and potatoes. Tianshaobai is like a sweeter version of xianshaobai. Instead of yacai, it is served on top of a big pile of sweet sticky rice.
At these banquets, xianshaobai is often the last dish served of the nine main (i. e. , meat) dishes. Make no mistake, there could be dozens more side dishes than the titular nine great bowls.
