Background of Char Siu

Char Siu, or Chinese BBQ roast pork, is a truly delicious favourite from takeaways and restaurants alike. When I was growing up, it always used to feel like something really special that you couldn’t get at home. As an adult, I’ve looked around and tried a few different recipes and found that it can be made at home very easily! You only require a couple of ingredients that are not supermarket accessible, but they should be easily accessible from your nearest Asian supermarket or online. The end result is deliciously sweet, sticky and juicy pork with a wonderfully caramelised outer layer. This goes so great with fried rice, in a bahn mi or simply served as the main course!

Ingredients

Perhaps the most different ingredient here to what you will typically be used to in a western household is the fermented red bean curd. This may sound to some people like an intimidating ingredient, however it really is delicious and an important part of the recipe! I tend to use Wangzhihe brand for mine, but there are many others out there.

My recipe also makes use of red food colouring to get that really deep and striking red colour. This is neiher necessary nor traditional, so feel free to exclude it if you don’t want to use it!

Considerations With The Meat

My recipe here is made with pork shoulder, as most char siu you find will be. You are not, however, limited to this only! I have used the marinade process in the past on a rack of pork ribs, and on pork belly. You could also apply it to chicken as well if you wanted to! Of course, you should modify the cooking method of the meat accordingly. You want to ensure you cook the meat fully and in the best way for the cut.

Another thing to bear in mind with this is how small you cut your meat before cooking. The smaller the slices are, the shorter they will cook. With a bit of trial and error you should be able to work out what size you prefer. I would also highly recommend using a meat thermometer to ensure the internal temperature is correct if cooking a large piece.

Char Siu Pork Shoulder

Delicious, sweet and sticky char siu pork shoulder. Great for adding to fried rice, putting in a bahn mi or eating on it's own!

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Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Marinating Time 12 hours hrs

Total Time 13 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4 People

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 1.5 kg Pork Shoulder Cut into strips, roughly 1 inch thick
• 1 cube Fermented Red Bean Curd With some of the juice
• 3 cloves Garlic Minced
• 2 tbsp Dark Brown Sugar
• 1 tbsp Five Spice Powder
• 1/4 tsp White Pepper
• 3 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsp Oyster Sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp Shaoxing Wine
• 2 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
• 1/2 tsp Sesame Oil
• 1/4 tsp Red Food Colouring Optional
• 2 tbsp Honey For basting

Method

 

1. Mix marinade

1. Add the fermented bean curd cube to a large bowl or dish and mash with a fork or whisk until smooth.
   
2. Add minced garlic, sugar, five spice powder and white pepper then mix in with the mashed bean curd.
   
3. Add in remaining ingredients and mix well into a smooth marinade.
   

2. Prepare the pork

1. If your pork shoulder still has the skin and fat cap on it, you'll want to cut it off. Hold the skin at a corner and gently lift it up, bringing the fat with it.
   
2. While continuing to lift the skin, use a knife to free it. Keep cutting it away until it all comes off in one piece.
   
3. Lying the shoulder flat along the grain, slice it into 1 inch thick pieces.
   

3. Marinade the pork

1. Take a bowl of the marinade, add in the honey and set aside for later.
2. Use a fork to gently prick the pork strips all over. This helps the marinade to sink in and give a nice red ring around the outside of the meat.
3. If you have one, transfer the pork strips and marinade to a ziploc bag and mix well. If not, add the pork to the bowl with the marinade and mix well by hand to ensure the marinade gets into all the cracks.
   
4. Transfer to the fridge and leave to marinade. This should be left for at least 2 hours, but ideally overnight.

4. Roast the pork

1. Heat the oven to 200°C.
2. Lay the pork out in a roasting tray over a rack.
   
3. Pour 200ml of water into the tray and put it into the oven for 15 mins.
4. Remove and baste on all sides with the remaining marinade and honey mixture.
5. Place back in for 15 more minutes.
6. Remove from the oven, baste again all over and return 10 minutes.
7. Turn the oven up to 220°C and roast for 5 more minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.