Char Siu - BBQ Pork Chinese Style

Wow, it's 2022 and I can't believe how fast the years have gone by. I apologise, I've been slack at uploading recipes. I tend to leave it on Instagram, but this year I vow to add a blog weekly. If I don't, please hold me accountable : )

I was suprised at myself for not having this recipe up. This is a recipe that I crafted to be very easy for the novice cooker to do and feel like a white-grease-stained-singlet-wearing-chinese-chef-with a gold chain and a cigarette in your mouth while cleavering away on some roast meat. It's a fan favourite, so it's stupid to not write a blog about it.

For this recipe, choosing the right meat cut is the difference between a really dry/coarse pork or a juicy pork. I would recommend a belly cut (remove the skin beforehand), or the next best cut is the shoulder. Find a piece that looks like it has a good fat to lean ratio.

A traditional Char Siu is red, and that is due to the red food colouring that is added. I try to keep additives/colours to a minimum and I find the soy sauce gives a red tinge anyway.

RECIPE - serves 2 to 4

INGREDIENTS

1 kg pork belly or pork shoulder

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

1/2 cup raw sugar/brown sugar

1/4 cup high percentage alcohol (I used vodka but you are free to use cooking wine, please double amount if you are using lower than 20% alcohol)

1 tsp 5 spice powder

Generous sprinkle of white pepper

1 tbsp salt is optional - add if you don’t have the luxury of an overnight marinade.

BASTE

1 tbsp Honey

1 tsp water

METHOD

1. Cut pork into wide strips then add marinade ingredients into a large bowl. Cover and leave in fridge overnight.

2. Bring pork out to room temperature, then turn oven to 180 C Fan forced.

Arrange on rack in the middle of the oven, juices will drip so make sure you cover the bottom with tin foil to make it clean as possible. Cook for 15 minutes

3. Flip pork then cook for a further 15 minutes. When pork is starting to look golden, turn oven off.

4. Coat pork with honey mixture and leave in the oven for 1 minute. Take it out and leave to rest for 10 minutes.

5. Slice into 1cm wide strips then serve with noodles, rice and veges.

If you watch my video below, you'll get a sense of how to make it. It's super easy to do, and the best part is freezing the pork to have multiple future dinners.