叉烧肉
Char siu is a quintessential Cantonese roast pork. It's served all over the place, from street vendors to food courts. It's well-known for its characteristic red color and savory-sweet flavor profile. A lot of the char siu that I've had in the past has been tough and dry with an uninspiring flavor profile, but I was really pleasantly surprised with how well this turned out. Choosing a relatively fatty piece of meat, being careful to not overcook it, and lightly charring the exterior led to a truly delightful experience. This sounds intimidating, but as long as you have the relevant Chinese sauces, it's actually pretty straightforward to make. Serve with rice and veggies for a comforting meal.
Active Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 24 hr
Ingredients
To make the marinade:
> soy sauce (2 tbsp)
> hoisin sauce (2 tbsp)
> oyster sauce (1 tbsp)
> Shaoxing wine (1 tbsp)
> honey (3 tbsp)
> brown sugar (2 tbsp)
> sesame oil (1 tbsp)
> fermented bean curd (1 cube)
> fermented bean curd liquid (2 tbsp)
> garlic (2 cloves, minced)
> salt (1 tsp)
> five-spice powder (1/2 tsp)
Everything else:
> pork shoulder (2 lb)
> honey (3 tbsp)
Instructions
1. In a large bowl, mix together all the marinade ingredients.
2. Slice the pork shoulder into strips that are ~3 inches wide and ~1.5 inches thick.
3. Place pork shoulder in a ziplock bag, pour in the marinade, gently massage the marinade into the pork, and let marinade in the fridge for between 8-24 hours.
4. Remove the pork from the fridge and let the meat come to room temp for 30-60m before roasting. Drain off excess marinade.
5. Prepare a foil-lined baking tray with a wire rack on top. Add a thin layer of water on the baking tray to prevent drippings from smoking.
6. Place the pork on top of the wire rack and roast for 30m at 400F, flipping once at the 15m mark. In the meantime, prepare the basting liquid by mixing together 1 tbsp leftover pork marinade and 3 tbsp honey.
7. Flip the pork, baste it with basting liquid, and broil for ~5m, or until slightly charred.
8. Repeat (7) -- flip the pork, baste it with basting liquid, and broil for ~5m, or until slightly charred.
9. Let cool for at least 5-10 minutes before slicing. Slice against the direction of the grain, and serve with rice.
Notes/Tips:
> Make sure to use a cut of pork that has a substantial amount of fat and marbling (but not pork belly; we don't want a huge fat cap). Pork shoulder is the most common cut and probably the most economical; pork jowl is also a good choice.
> It's important to let the pork come to room temperature before beginning to roast; that'll allow for a more uniform cook on the meat, without excessively overcooking the outside or undercooking the inside.
> Monitor the internal temperature of the meat; fattier cuts of pork allow for a bit more leeway, but regardless you'd probably want to avoid going substantially higher than 160F internal temp.
> Please don't skimp on charring the exterior -- it's really important! I found that the slight smoky charred flavor really elevated the dish.
> With this char siu, your pork will end up much less red than what you might get at a restaurant. For the most part, it's the fermented bean curd which gives the characteristic red color, but restaurants will typically also add red food coloring. You could add a bit as well if you're looking for a more vibrant red color.