Char Siu (Cantonese Barbecue Pork)

Name: Char Siu (Cantonese Barbecue Pork)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 13 h 10 min
Total time: 13 h 35 min
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: 3 tbsp hoisin sauce; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp oyster sauce; 2 tbsp honey, plus 2 tbsp for glazing; 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine, or dry sherry; 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder; 2 cloves garlic, grated; 1 tsp toasted sesame oil; 1 tsp red fermented bean curd or a few drops red food coloring, optional, for the classic color; 1¼ kg (2½ lb) boneless pork shoulder (butt), cut along the grain into strips 5 cm thick and wide; 1 tbsp hot water, for the glaze

Pork shoulder marinated overnight and roasted with a sticky, lacquered glaze

Serves: 6
Hands-on: 25 min
Total: 13 h 35 min
Level: Some skill

Char siu means "fork roast": strips of pork once hung on forks over a fire, lacquered with a deep red glaze of hoisin, honey, soy, five-spice and Chinese wine. In a home oven, a rack over water keeps the pork moist while the glaze caramelizes. Slice it over rice or noodles, or stuff it into buns.

Ingredients

Marinade

3 tbsphoisin sauce
2 tbspsoy sauce
1 tbspoyster sauce
2 tbsphoneyplus 2 tbsp for glazing
1 tbspShaoxing wineor dry sherry
1 tspChinese five-spice powder
2 clovesgarlicgrated
1 tsptoasted sesame oil
1 tspred fermented bean curd or a few drops red food coloringoptional, for the classic color

Pork

1¼ kgboneless pork shoulder (butt) (2½ lb)cut along the grain into strips 5 cm thick and wide
1 tbsphot waterfor the glaze

Diet: Dairy-free
Allergens: soy, gluten, sesame, molluscs, sulphites
Origin: China (Cantonese)

Method

Mix the marinade. Put the pork in a bag or container, pour over two-thirds of the marinade (keep the rest in the fridge for the glaze) and massage it in. Refrigerate 8–24 hours. 12 h
Take the pork out 30 minutes before cooking. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Line a roasting pan with foil, fill it with 1 cm water and set a rack on top. 30 min
Lay the pork strips on the rack, spaced apart. Roast 25 minutes. 25 min
Mix the reserved marinade with 2 tbsp honey and the hot water. Brush the pork generously, turn, brush the other side and roast 15 minutes more. Add water to the pan if it dries out. 15 min
Brush again, turn and roast 10–15 minutes, until the glaze is sticky and charred in spots. The pork should reach at least 70°C (158°F) — shoulder is safe at 63°C (145°F) but is more tender at 70–75°C (158–167°F). 12 min
For extra char, brush once more and put under a hot broiler for 2–3 minutes, watching closely. Rest 10 minutes, then slice across the grain into 5 mm slices. 10 min

Why it works

Shoulder has enough fat running through it to stay juicy at high heat, unlike lean loin. Sugars in the honey and hoisin caramelize into a lacquer, but would burn over a long roast, so the glaze goes on in layers toward the end. The water in the pan creates steam that keeps the meat moist and stops dripping sugar from scorching.

Common mistakes

Using lean loin, which dries out.
Glazing from the start; the sugar burns black before the meat is cooked.
Letting the water pan dry out, so the drips smoke.

Variations

Char siu bao: Dice 300 g char siu, toss with 2 tbsp of the glaze and use to fill steamed buns.
Pork belly char siu: Use skinless pork belly strips for a richer, fattier version; roast 10 minutes longer.