This Char Siu pork recipe is an old-fashioned Cantonese comfort dish that provides delicious, sweet, delicious pieces pork that you can roast at home. You don’t even require food coloring in red to reproduce the vibrant red hues of the pork.
Char siu? Chinese Bbq pork?
Char siu, also known as the cha siu, is a well-known Cantonese recipe that’s barbecued, roasted, and marinated pork. Char siu’s name is translated to “fork roasted” and came out of the traditional method to cook the food, which involves roasting long pieces of pork which are placed on a stove or in an oven using large pronged forks.
What are the ingredients that make a genuine Char siu recipe?
The thing that makes genuine char siu? its marinade that is composed of honey, honey-based variants powder, five-spice, and the most important ingredient fermented red bean curd. This provides it with a lovely red color. This blend provides char siu with a delicious and sweet flavor.
I chose to use fermented red bean curd as well as the sauce since it’s an ingredient that is more common. Because it’s maroon color is a result of using the red yeast I found it to be an excellent natural substitute for the use of food coloring.
A second important ingredient is maltose, which is a highly viscous component which gives char siu its glossy glaze. If you don’t have it, you could substitute the honey with however the sheen may not look quite as beautiful as maltose.
To prepare the marinade I made use of fermented sugar fermented curd of red beans, sauce honey dark soy sauce salt, molasses and the powder of garlic, as well as five-spice. For the glaze sauce I reserved a portion of the marinade, and then mixed it in hot maltose and hot water.
The best cuts of pork to make Char siu
Similar to many Asian BBQ pork dishes (think Filipino BBQ skewers) The cut of the meat that you choose can influence how it tastes, the fat or skin content , and the end result can be very.
- Pork Butt/Shoulder is among the most well-known cuts for Char siu due to it being slightly thin, yet still provides fat and lean pieces. I prefer this cut of meat due to the fact that it’s moist and less likely to cook it too long.
- Pork belly will provide you with super succulent and juicy chunks of Char Siu. This is delicious to eat along with Chinese steamed buns as its rich texture is great with the bao buns that are simple.
- Pork tenderloin is the most lean, yet delicate texture of the char siu. If you’re not sure whether to cook belly or butt because of its fat content it’s a good alternative.
How do you make char siu pork home
Traditional char siu, along with other Chinese roast pork dishes was cooked over a flame However, these days you can roast at the table in the oven. The most important aspect of cooking this dish is marinade. You need to keep about half of the of the marinade inside a glass container to create the sauce for basting.
I prefer to use an afork to poke the meat 5-10 times to ensure all the delicious marinade is absorbed into the meat. It is recommended to marinate the meat in the refrigerator for at minimum 8 hours or even over night to impart enough flavor in the meat. Prior to baking, take the meat from the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so to bring it up to room temperature. This ensures that the meat cooks evenly.
In order to make the sauce that you will use for the basting for the basting sauce, you must mix the marinade that you’ve reserved with hot water and maltose. Maltose can be a challenge to work with when it’s at ambient temperature, so I recommend heating it slightly by using the microwave in order to break it. I mix it in with some hot water to further loosen it and then mix it into the marinade. This ensures that the maltose is properly integrated.
Once the oven is ready and warm at 375 degrees F, put the meat in a rack placed on top of a second pan. Incorporate some water into the pan to keep the inside of the oven moist so that you don’t dry out the pork too fast The rack will also hold the extra sauce for basting that drips down the rack, preventing it from burning.
I prefer to cook the char siu for around 40-50 minutes. I like turning the meat over and then basting with the sauce during the cooking process. It is essential to make use of a meat thermometer to measure the temperature inside throughout the process to ensure that it’s completely cooked. Once it’s cooked and cooling, I allow it to rest on a cutting table and apply a final basting prior to making cuts and serving.
What recipes or foods use Chinese BBQ pork?
My preferred way to eat the char siu is by eating simple white rice with gailan which is also known as Chinese broccoli. It’s a delicious and flavorful dish that all you need is some basic side dishes. Although it’s delicious on its own but you can also enjoy the char siu in a variety of varieties, such as bao char siu. Certain cultures also have a version that is their own. For instance in Vietnam where you can find the pork belly as part of Bánh Mì and Mi kho xa xiu.
Storage and service
I like serving the char siu with a drizzle of the sauce for basting on top of the cut pork pieces. It gives it an extra flavor and seasoning. If you plan to keep making bao char siu, then you won’t need the extra sauce to bast.
To store any extra Char siu, I like to cut the meat in slices. I then add the sauce for basting to ensure it doesn’t become dry. I store the meat in an airtight container in my refrigerator and it will last at least five days. To warm it, I place portions of the slices into a bowl, then microwave until they are good and hot.
Authentic Char Siu Pork Recipe (Chinese BBQ Pork)
Equipment
- cooling rack
- sheet pan
- Tongs
- brush
Ingredients
MARINADE
- 680 g (1 ½ lb) pork butt/shoulder
- 50 g (4 tbsp) white granulated sugar
- 56 g (4 tbsp) fermented red bean curd sauce
- 20 g (2 pieces) fermented red bean curd
- 32 g (2 tbsp) dark soy sauce
- 81 g (4 tbsp) honey
- 45 g (2 tbsp) molasses
- 10 g (1 tbsp) kosher salt Diamond Crystal brand
- 12 g (3 ½ tsp) garlic powder
- 1.5 g (¾ tsp) five spice powder
BASTING SAUCE & ASSEMBLY
- 67.5 g (3 tbsp) maltose
- water for roasting
- 14 g (1 tbsp) boiling water
Instructions
- Cut the butt of pork into two long horizontal strips and put them aside.
- In a small bowl mix the remaining ingredients to create the marinade. Make use of a fork or whisk to incorporate the curd of beans into the sauce. Keep half of the marinade in a different glass container. You will use it for basting sauce in the future.
- in a container mix the strips of pork and marinade, making sure each side of the pork is completely coated. Cover with a lid , and keep in the fridge for at least 8 hours , or even overnight. At the halfway point of marinating. Make sure you rotate the meat to ensure that both sides receive the same level of cooking.
- Take the pork out of the refrigerator within 30 minutes prior to roasting to allow the pork to the temperature of room. This will allow you to evenly cook the pork throughout.
- Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare your basting sauce heating up the maltose using the microwave for around 20 seconds. Mix the hot and maltose together, and then mix in the rest of the marinade to make the basting sauce.
- Place the meat marinated on the top of a rack-lined sheet pan. Set the pan on the middle rack in the oven. Pour in enough water into the pan to fill it around 1 inch from at the base of the dish.
- For 20 mins, bake the meat, then flip over and smear the meat using a brush.
- Bake for an additional 15 minutes, then flip and then baste.
- The heat should be increased to 425 degrees F after which the siu will bake 5 mins, or so that the edges start to become darker and caramelize. The internal temperature should be at least 150 degrees F.
- Transfer the meat to the cutting board, and then baste another time and let it sit for five minutes prior to cutting. The meat is served with steaming rice, and with fresh vegetables.