Char siu (Cantonese barbecue pork)

Name: Char siu (Cantonese barbecue pork)
Cook time: 100 min
Total time: 100 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons Soy sauce; 4 cloves Garlic; 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar; 1 kg Pork Shoulder; 5 tablespoons Honey; 1 teaspoon Sesame Seed Oil; 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder; 2 tablespoons Shaoxing Wine; 4 tablespoons Hoisin Sauce; 500 ml Water; 2 u Red fermented bean curd

Char siu

Medium

Contains allergens

Cereales con glutenSojaSésamoSulfitos(may contain)

Incomplete allergen information: some ingredients have not been reviewed yet. Always check the labels before cooking.

Author: Equipo Cocinoa
Preparation time: 100 min
Servings: 6

Summary

The Cantonese roast pork of Hong Kong's shop windows: strips of shoulder marinated overnight in hoisin, soy, honey and five-spice, roasted on a rack and glazed until glossy with caramelised edges. Eat it with rice or tuck it into buns and noodles.

Ingredients

6 servings

Add to Bring!

3 tablespoons Soy sauce
4 cloves Garlic (grated)
2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 kg Pork Shoulder (or collar (neck), boneless)
5 tablespoons Honey (3 for the marinade and 2 for glazing)
1 teaspoon Sesame Seed Oil
1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
2 tablespoons Shaoxing Wine (or dry sherry)
4 tablespoons Hoisin Sauce
500 ml Water (for the roasting tray and the glaze)
2 u Red fermented bean curd (plus a spoonful of its liquid) (optional)

Instructions

Cut the meat lengthways into strips about 5 cm thick, so they cook through before burning on the outside. Prick them all over with a fork.
5 min
Mix the hoisin, soy sauce, 3 tablespoons of honey, Shaoxing wine, sugar, five-spice, garlic, sesame oil and the fermented bean curd mashed with its liquid. Set aside 3 tablespoons of this marinade for the glaze and keep it covered in the fridge.
5 min
Coat the meat thoroughly with the rest of the marinade, put it in a bag or sealed container and leave it in the fridge overnight, or at least 4 hours, turning it now and then.
Take the meat out of the fridge half an hour before roasting. Preheat the oven to 200 °C, pour a finger of hot water into the bottom tray and set a rack over it.
30 min
Lay the strips on the rack, spaced apart, and roast for 25 minutes, turning them halfway through.
25 min
Mix the reserved marinade with 2 tablespoons of honey and one of hot water. Brush it over the meat, roast for 10 minutes, turn, brush again and roast for another 10 minutes, until the centre reaches 68-70 °C.
20 min
To caramelise the edges, turn the grill to high and brown the meat for 2 or 3 minutes a side, keeping a close eye on it. Brush with the last of the glaze and rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
15 min

Notes

The ideal cut is pork collar or shoulder, whose marbling keeps it juicy; loin turns out dry. The deep red of many restaurants' char siu comes from food colouring; here the colour comes from red fermented bean curd (nam yu, sold in Chinese grocers), which also adds a deep savoury flavour. Without it the pork is more golden but just as good. In Canton it is glazed with maltose, which is thicker and glossier than honey; if you can get it, use the same amount, warmed so it flows. The water in the tray below stops the dripping juices from burning and filling the kitchen with smoke. The marinade set aside for glazing never touches the raw meat. It keeps for 4 days in the fridge and freezes well in whole strips; slice it for fried rice, steamed buns (char siu bao), stir-fried noodles or wonton soup.