The savory aroma of the sauce intertwines with a sweet fragrance, while the garlicky notes boldly assert themselves; the meat has a slight chewiness but is tender enough to bite through easily.
While homemade char siu may not match the perfection of restaurant-style hanging-roasted pork, as long as you marinate the meat long enough and control the roasting temperature well, the results are still quite impressive. When you pick up a piece of char siu and hold it up to a ray of sunlight, the meat appears brilliantly red and translucent, with a single drop of oil hanging at the bottom, shimmering temptingly as it threatens to fall. Pop it into your mouth, and a sweet, savory sauce hits you first, followed by a bold garlic punch, then the rich, caramelized fragrance of the fatty edges—like a giant Saint Bernard dog leaping at you, utterly intoxicating!
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
800 g (about 1.75 lbs) pork shoulder (or pork butt)
Pork collar, located on the pig's neck and shoulder, has a perfect balance of fat and lean meat, resulting in a very moist and tender texture when roasted. If pork collar is unavailable, you can use skinless pork belly instead; in short, do not use lean meat alone, as it will be too dry and tough.
Marinade
50 g (about 1/4 cup) Chu Hou paste (fermented soybean paste)
50 g (about 1/4 cup) hoisin sauce
50 g (about 1/4 cup) fermented bean paste
30 g light soy sauce
20 g oyster sauce
10 g (about 2 teaspoons) white sugar
2 g salt
1 egg
cornstarch, a small amount
Green onions, ginger, and garlic - to taste
a small amount of rose-flavored wine
If using only two of the three sauces, the flavor will be slightly compromised; you can also use a dedicated char siu sauce. Rose wine can be substituted with yellow rice wine.
other auxiliary ingredients
red yeast rice to taste
Maltose (or malt syrup) to taste
Maltose can be substituted with honey.
Instructions
Instructions
Preparation
Step 1: Cut the pork shoulder into evenly thick strips, about 1 cm thick (Image 2). Cut the scallions into small sections, slice the ginger, and chop the garlic into pieces for later use (Image 3).
*When cutting the pork into strips, be sure to slice along the grain, otherwise the meat may break easily and ruin the dish's appearance. Do not cut the meat too thick, as it will be difficult to season and cook through; but also not too thin, as it will dry out during roasting. *If you prefer a strong garlic flavor in your char siu, feel free to add a bit more garlic.
② Bring red yeast rice and a small amount of water to a boil in a pot, then simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes. Let it cool, and reserve the liquid for later use (Image 4).
*Because char siu looks best when roasted to a rich red color, natural red yeast rice is used for coloring. When simmering the red yeast rice, use very little water over the lowest heat, slowly extracting a concentrated deep-red liquid.
Step 3: Place the maltose in a pot, add a small amount of water, and simmer over low heat until it becomes a syrup, then remove from the pot and set aside.
*Maltose is very sticky and difficult to brush directly onto the meat, so it should be boiled into a syrup beforehand.
Marinate the pork: In a large bowl, combine 3 tablespoons light soy sauce, 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce, 3 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry, 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce, 1 teaspoon five-spice powder, 1/2 teaspoon white pepper, 2 cloves minced garlic, and 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger. Add 500 g (about 1 lb) pork shoulder or tenderloin, cut into 2-inch thick strips, and turn to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight for best flavor.
④ Pour all the marinade ingredients into a bowl (Image 5), add an appropriate amount of red yeast rice water and stir well (Image 6), then add the sliced meat and mix thoroughly (Image 7). Marinate for at least 5 hours.
*When adding the marinade seasonings, put the starch in last. Don't use too much red yeast rice water, or the marinade will be too thin and won't stick to the meat.
Roast the meat in the oven.
⑤ Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) with both top and bottom heating elements for 15 minutes. Place the marinated pork on a wire rack (Image 8) and roast on the middle rack for 15 minutes. Remove, brush with a layer of syrup, flip, and roast for another 15 minutes. Brush with syrup again and roast for 1 more minute until done (Image 9).
*The oven should be fully preheated in advance. It's best to use a wire rack instead of a baking sheet when roasting the meat, as the meat will release juices; if these collect in the pan, the roasted meat will become soggy, lacking the desired dry, firm texture and rich, oily flavor. The downside of using a wire rack is that the juices and fat drip directly onto the crumb tray located very close to the heating element, making it extremely difficult to clean. Therefore, it's best to line the crumb tray with a layer of aluminum foil, which can be peeled off and discarded after roasting.
This recipe is versatile and can be adapted to your preferences.
Using the same method for roasting char siu pork, you can also roast chicken wings or drumsticks, or even try roasting fish. Just keep in mind that the fish must be fresh, and it's best to marinate it with yellow wine, scallions, and ginger beforehand to remove any fishy smell.
Cooking Notes
Columnar sauce, hoisin sauce, and ground bean sauce are all commonly used seasonings in Cantonese cuisine. Hoisin sauce is on the sweeter side and is essential for making char siu (barbecue pork), and it can also be used as a dipping sauce; columnar sauce has a very distinctive flavor with a strong garlic taste and a balanced savory-sweet profile, primarily used in hot dishes like braised beef or steamed pork belly; ground bean sauce is used less frequently than the other two and leans more savory. If ranking them, ground bean sauce plays the smallest role among the three—add it if you have it, skip it if you don’t, as it won’t affect the overall taste.