Char Siu
Cantonese barbecue pork with the mahogany edges and honeyed lacquer of the siu mei shop window, roasted at home and rested in its own sweet juices.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Char Siu, in 5 ideas
- Pork neck or shoulder is the cut. Its marbling bastes the meat from inside in a way lean loin never can.
- The marinade is a balance of sugar, soy and fermented bean curd. That touch of nam yu is the flavor you recognize from every great roast meat shop.
- Hanging the strips in the oven. Or roasting on a rack, lets the hot air lacquer every side instead of steaming the bottom.
- Honey goes on only at the end. Brushed on early it burns before the pork is cooked through.
- Slice against the grain and serve the resting juices over the top. Char siu should glisten when it reaches the rice.
What you need
Ingredients
- 2 lb pork neck or boneless pork shoulder
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp honey, plus more for glazing
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 cube red fermented bean curd, mashed, with 1 tsp of its liquid
- 1 tsp five-spice powder
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- A drop of red food coloring (optional, traditional)
How to make it
Method
Cut the pork into long strips about 2 inches thick. Prick all over with a fork.
Mix the sugar, honey, soy, hoisin, wine, bean curd, five-spice, garlic and coloring into a marinade. Coat the pork thoroughly and marinate in the fridge overnight, or at least 4 hours.
Heat the oven to 425 °F (220 °C). Set the pork on a rack over a pan with a cup of water in it. Reserve the marinade.
Roast for 15 minutes. Brush with marinade, turn, and roast 10 minutes more.
Brush with honey and roast a final 5 to 10 minutes, until the edges char in spots and the glaze shines.
Rest 10 minutes. Slice across the grain and spoon over any juices from the pan.
Serve over rice with the extra pan juices, or alongside noodles and greens.
Char siu freezes beautifully: make a double batch and slice the extra straight into fried rice, noodle soups and bao all month.