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Sichuan la rou (smoked cured pork belly)
Pork belly cured with Sichuan pepper, dried and wok-smoked, then steamed and sliced for the New Year table
In the twelfth lunar month, balconies across Sichuan and Chongqing fill with strips of pork belly hanging to cure, and by the Spring Festival they have become la rou: smoky, salty and deeply savoury, the taste of a full larder and a prosperous year. The pork is rubbed with salt and toasted Sichuan pepper, left to cure, dried, then smoked; traditionally over cypress branches, here in a foil-lined wok with rice, sugar, tea and wood chips. Steamed and sliced thin, the fat turns translucent and the lean a deep ruby red. Serve it on its own with rice, or stir-fry the slices with garlic shoots or leeks. This home version uses pink curing salt for safety, cures and dries in the fridge, and must always be cooked before eating. Chef's tip: weigh the curing salt on scales accurate to 0.1 g; too much is harmful, too little is unsafe.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the cure
- 3 ⅓ lb skin-on pork bellycut lengthways into strips 4–5 cm wide
- 1 ⅜ oz fine sea salt
- ⅛ oz curing salt (Prague powder #1 / pink curing salt no. 1)2.5 g per kg of pork, or as the packet says
- ⅔ oz sugar
- 2 tbsp Sichuan peppercornstoasted and coarsely ground
- 1 tsp five-spice powder
For smoking
- 2 ⅛ oz uncooked rice
- 1 ⅜ oz brown sugar
- 2 tbsp black tea leaves
- 1 handful wood smoking chips or dried cypress twigssoaked 20 minutes, drained
To serve
- 2 spring onions (optional)sliced
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Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅜ oz fine sea salt, ⅛ oz curing salt (Prague powder #1 / pink curing salt no. 1), ⅔ oz sugar, 2 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns and 1 tsp five-spice powder thoroughly in a bowl, so the pink salt is evenly spread.
5 minStep 2: Rub the cure all over 3 ⅓ lb skin-on pork belly, especially into the cut sides and the meat side, then pack the strips with any loose cure into a large food bag or lidded box.
10 minStep 3: Cure in the fridge (below 5 °C) for 6–7 days, turning and massaging the bag every day, until the meat feels firm all the way through and has released a little liquid. Never cure on the counter.
Step 4: Rinse the strips under cold water and pat completely dry. Lay them on a rack over a tray and air-dry uncovered in the fridge for 3–5 days (or hang somewhere airy that stays below 50°F), until the surface is dry, leathery and darkened.
10 minStep 5: Line a wok and its lid with a double layer of foil. Scatter in 2 ⅛ oz uncooked rice, 1 ⅜ oz brown sugar, 2 tbsp black tea leaves and 1 handful wood smoking chips or dried cypress twigs, and set a rack on top about 5 cm above them.
10 minStep 6: Lay the pork on the rack skin-side up, cover tightly and set over a medium heat until smoke appears, then turn to low and smoke for 40 minutes, turning the strips halfway, until the skin is a deep mahogany brown. Open a window and run the extractor fan.
45 minStep 7: Cool the pork, wrap each strip in baking paper and keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months. It is not ready to eat raw.
5 minStep 8: To cook, scrub a strip under warm water, then simmer in a pan of water for 15 minutes to draw out some salt. Common mistake: skipping this; la rou straight from the cure is far too salty to enjoy.
15 minStep 9: Steam the strip over a high heat for 30–40 minutes, until the fat looks translucent and the centre of the meat reaches 160°F on a probe thermometer.
35 minStep 10: Cool for 5 minutes, slice as thinly as you can across the strip, and arrange on a plate scattered with 2 spring onions.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 3 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sichuan la rou (smoked cured pork belly) take?
- About 180 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 120 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of uncooked rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
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IndianPerfect for:Lunar New Year