Cantonese Roast Pork Char Siu Recipes

CHINESE ROAST PORK (CHAR SIU)

Steps:

• First day preparation:
• To make the marinade, combine the first 8 ingredients in a freshly-sanitized plastic container just large enough to hold the pork snug - or - in a Ziploc plastic bag. Reserve 1/4 cup of marinade for glaze. Add the pork, turn well to coat, and refrigerate at least 24 hours and not longer than 48 hours.
• Second day preparation:
• Preheat oven to 450°F Set a pan filled with 1" water on the bottom rack.
• Combine the honey, 2 Tbs. soy, sesame oil, and 1/4 cup pork marinade in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Set aside.
• Place pork strips on broiler pan and put on rack above water pan. Roast 10 minutes.
• Brush with 1/3 of the glaze, roast 10 minutes more, and then lower the heat to 350°F
• Brush with half of remaining glaze and roast 10 minutes more.
• Brush with remaining glaze and turn off oven. Remove from oven after 5 minutes and cool to room temperature on a rack (if using for Bao; otherwise, serve it up!).

CHAR SIU (CHINESE BBQ PORK)

Steps:

• Cut the pork into long strips or chunks about 2 to 3 inches thick. Don't trim any excess fat, as it will render off and add flavor.
• Combine the sugar, salt, five spice powder, white pepper, sesame oil, wine, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, molasses, food coloring (if using), and garlic in a bowl to make the marinade (i.e. the BBQ sauce).
• Reserve about 2 tablespoons of marinade and set it aside. Rub the pork with the rest of the marinade in a large bowl or baking dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours. Cover and store the reserved marinade in the fridge as well.
• Preheat your oven to 'bake' at 475 F (246 C) with a rack positioned in the upper third of the oven. (If you only have a convection oven, keep in mind the oven not only heats more quickly, your char siu will roast faster than what we have described here). It's amazing how oven temperatures can vary-from model to model, in different spots in the oven, and in how ovens pre-heat and maintain heat. Using an oven thermometer to double-check the actual oven temperature is a great safeguard to monitor your food (I say double-check because even oven thermostat calibrations vary and can sometimes be incorrect). Regardless, be sure to check your char siu every 10 minutes, reducing or increasing the temperature as needed.
• Line a sheet pan with foil and place a metal rack on top. Using the metal rack keeps the pork off of the pan and allows it to roast more evenly, like it does in commercial ovens described above. Place the pork on the rack, leaving as much space as possible between pieces. Pour 1 ½ cups water into the pan below the rack. This prevents any drippings from burning or smoking.
• Transfer the pork to your preheated oven. Roast for 25 minutes, keeping the oven setting at 475 F for the first 10 minutes of roasting, and then reduce your oven temperature to 375 F (190 C). After 25 minutes, flip the pork. If the bottom of the pan is dry, add another cup of water. Turn the pan 180 degrees to ensure even roasting. Roast another 15 minutes. Throughout the roasting time, check your char siu often (every 10 minutes) and reduce the oven temperature if it looks like it is burning!
• Meanwhile, combine the reserved marinade with the maltose or honey (maltose is very viscous--you can heat it up in the microwave to make it easier to work with) and 1 tablespoon hot water. This will be the sauce you'll use for basting the pork.
• After 40 minutes of total roasting time, baste the pork, flip it, and baste the other side as well. Roast for a final 10 minutes.
• By now, the pork has cooked for 50 minutes total. It should be cooked through and caramelized on top. If it's not caramelized to your liking, you can turn the broiler on for a couple minutes to crisp the outside and add some color/flavor. Be sure not to walk away during this process, since the sweet char siu BBQ sauce can burn if left unattended. You can also use a meat thermometer to check if the internal temperature of the pork has reached 160 degrees F. (Update: USDA recommends that pork should be cooked to 145 degrees F with a 3 minute resting time)
• Remove from the oven and baste with the last bit of reserved BBQ sauce. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing, and enjoy!

CHINESE ROAST PORK (CHAR SIU)

Steps:

• Cut pork into neat billets about 6 by 3 by 1 1/2 inches and place in bowl. Put brown bean sauce, garlic, stock, salt, sugar, soy sauce and tomato paste in small saucepan and warm, stirring until everything is well blended. Remove from heat and stir in five-spice powder and sherry. Pour sauce over pork; mix to coat all pieces, cover and allow to marinate in refrigerator for at least 6 hours, turning a few times.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a large shallow pan half full of hot water on the bottom of the oven (or on the lowest rack). Wipe top rack, which should be at least 7 inches above the water, with paper towel dipped in vegetable oil. Turn pork once more in marinade to coat well and place pieces directly on the rack, leaving spaces between them but arranging them so that the drippings will fall into the water (the water will also provide moisture during cooking). Bake 20 minutes.
• Lower heat to 350 degrees and bake 10 minutes more. (For sweeter pork, brush pieces lightly during the last 10 minutes with 2 tablespoons honey mixed with 2 tablespoons marinade.)
• Remove pork pieces from oven; if it will not be used immediately as an ingredient in one of the following dishes, cool, wrap and refrigerate or freeze until needed. To use, cut into pieces to match the dish you have in mind; for example, dice pork if dish contains diced vegetables.

CHAR SIU (CHINESE BBQ PORK)

Steps:

• Cut pork with the grain into strips 1 1/2- to 2-inches long; put into a large resealable plastic bag.
• Stir soy sauce, honey, ketchup, brown sugar, rice wine, hoisin sauce, red food coloring or red bean curd (see Cook's Note), and Chinese five-spice powder together in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook and stir until just combined and slightly warm, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the marinade into the bag with the pork, squeeze air from the bag, and seal. Turn bag a few times to coat all pork pieces in marinade.
• Marinate pork in refrigerator, 2 hours to overnight.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Remove pork from marinade and shake to remove excess liquid. Discard remaining marinade.
• Cook pork on preheated grill for 20 minutes. Put a small container of water onto the grill and continue cooking, turning the pork regularly, until cooked through, about 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

CANTONESE CHAR SIU PORK AND VEGETABLE SPRING ROLLS

Steps:

• To make the filling, combine the sugar, salt, white pepper, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and water in a small bowl. Stir this flavoring sauce well and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallions and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds until soft and aromatic. Add the cabbage, celery, and carrot, stirring to combine well. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute, until the vegetables have collapsed slightly. Add the flavoring sauce, stirring to combine, and continue cooking for about 2 minutes, until most of the liquid has disappeared and the vegetables have just cooked through. Add the pork and continue cooking, stirring to combine the flavors and heat through, about 1 minute. Give the cornstarch a final stir, and pour over the filling mixture. Cook for about 30 seconds, to bind the mixture nicely. Transfer to a platter and spread out. Set aside to cool completely before using. You should have about 3 cups. (The filling can be prepared 2 days in advance, covered, and refrigerated after cooling. Return to room temperature before wrapping.)
• Before assembling the spring rolls, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly dust with cornstarch. For each spring roll, use about 1/4 cup of filling, placing it slightly below the center of the skin. Follow the directions on page 75 to create the cigar shape, taking care to not wrap too tightly because you want just two layers of skin around the filling. Before rolling up the spring roll all the way to seal it, brush beaten egg on the upper two edges to ensure that the skin seals well. Set the finished rolls, seam side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel to prevent drying.
• Fry the rolls in two stages. Heat 1 inch of oil in a wok, saucepan, or deep skillet over medium-high heat to about 350°F on a deep-fry thermometer. (If you don't have a deep-fry thermometer, stick a dry bamboo chopstick into the oil; if bubbles rise immediately to the surface and encircle the chopstick, the oil is ready.) Slide in few spring rolls and fry for about 1 1/2 minutes, turning as needed, until light golden. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the other rolls. These rolls soft en as they sit, so after their first frying, refry them for 45 to 60 seconds in 350°F oil until crispy and golden brown.
• Serve hot, whole or cut in half diagonally, with the dipping sauce of your choice.

CHAR SIU PORK

Steps:

• Quarter the pork lengthwise into strips about 6 inches long and 1 1/2 inches thick. If there are odd-sized pieces, they should be of the same thickness.
• To make the marinade, in a large bowl, whisk together the garlic, sugar, five-spice powder, hoisin sauce, honey, wine, light and dark soy sauces, and sesame oil. Add the pork and use a spatula or tongs to coat evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours, turning the pork 2 or 3 times.
• Remove the pork from the refrigerator 45 minutes before cooking. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 475°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a flat roasting rack on the pan. Put the pork on the rack, spacing the pieces 1 inch apart. Reserve the marinade.
• Roast, basting with the marinade every 10 minutes, for 30 to 35 minutes. To baste, use tongs to pick up each piece and roll it in the marinade before returning it to the rack, turning the pork over each time. The pork is done when it looks glazed, is slightly charred, and most important, registers about 145°F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the oven.
• Let the meat rest for 10 minutes to finish cooking and seal in the juices. Thinly slice the pork across the grain and serve warm or at room temperature. Or, let it cool completely, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months. This pork reheats well in a microwave oven.