How To Make Char Siu
Chinese BBQ pork can be used in so many different dishes including: dry and wet noodle dishes, soups, as a side to rice dishes, used to make steamed buns and so much more.
Ingredients
- 700 grams (1.5 pounds) pork shoulder – cut into 5cm (2 inch wide) and 12 cm (5 inch) long pieces
Marinade
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon maltose
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine
- 1 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger - minced
- 3 tablespoons soft brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon five spice powder
- 1 teaspoon white pepper powder
- 1 clove garlic – finely chopped or minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
Instructions
- PREPARE THE PORKUse a fork and poke holes into the pork meat pieces.
- MAKE THE MARINADE- Place all the marinade ingredients into a large zip lock bag. Mix well.- Add the pieces of meat to the marinade sauce, and “massage” the meat into the sauce until completely covered. Press out any air from the bag and seal.- Allow the meat to marinate in the fridge for at least 8 hours or more (it can be left to marinate for as long as two days).
- COOK THE PORKPreheat the oven to 180°C (356°F)- Line a tray with baking paper or foil, place a well-oiled cake rack on top.- Place the pork meat pieces on the oiled cake rack and keep the left-over marinade (this will be used for basting).- Place the pork into the hot oven and cook for 20 minutes, then:• Flip the meat over and use a small brush to baste the meat with the marinade sauce, cook for another 15 minutes.• Flip the meat over and baste with the sauce, cook for 10 minutes.• Turn the meat over, baste again, cook for another 5 minutes (the meat should be dark golden brown and slightly charred at this stage, if not cook for a few minutes longer).
- ALLOW TO REST- Remove from the oven and allow it to rest for 5 minutes before cutting.
Notes
A few things to consider when making the marinade:
- Don’t go overboard with the garlic 1-2 cloves is sufficient, using more will affect the taste.
- Also, the type of honey you use will affect the taste. So, if you make this recipe and find that the flavour is not quite right it could be the honey, try using a different brand of honey next time.
- Don’t skip the maltose, this clear, thick and sticky liquid gives the Chinese barbecue pork it’s shine. It is very thick and can be difficult to get out of the container at room temperature. However, when warmed in the microwave oven in short bursts, it softens and can then be easily spooned out.