Char siu
Honey roast pork
叉烧 chāshāo / Cantonese caa1 siu1: Guangzhou honey-glazed roast pork with a sticky red crust
Hanging in long glossy strips in the windows of Guangzhou's siu mei shops, char siu is the roast pork Cantonese families pick up on the way home to put on rice, noodles or into steamed buns. The outside is lacquered, sweet and a little charred at the edges; the inside stays juicy, savoury and faintly scented with five-spice. Shoulder (pork butt) is the cut to use, because its marbling keeps the strips moist through a hot oven. Marinate it overnight in the fridge, roast it the next day and eat it warm with steamed rice and blanched greens, or cold in fried rice and noodle soups. Chef's tip: save the honey for the last ten minutes; brushed on at the start it burns black long before the pork is cooked.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the pork
- 2 ¼ lb boneless pork shouldercut along the grain into strips about 5 cm wide and 3 cm thick
For the marinade
- 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wineor the same amount of chicken stock with 1/2 tsp rice vinegar for an alcohol-free version
- ½ tsp five-spice powder
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 3 cloves garlicfinely grated
- 1 cube fermented red bean curd (optional)mashed with 1 tbsp of its liquid; gives the classic red colour
For the glaze
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp hot water
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Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Mix 3 tbsp hoisin sauce, 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, 3 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine, ½ tsp five-spice powder, ¼ tsp ground white pepper and 3 cloves garlic in a bowl until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the mashed red bean curd if you are using it.
Step 2: Put the 2 ¼ lb boneless pork shoulder strips in a food bag or dish, pour over the marinade and massage it in. Use a separate board and knife for the raw pork and wash them straight after.
Step 3: Seal and marinate in the fridge for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight, turning once. Never leave it to marinate on the counter.
Step 4: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Line a roasting tin with foil, pour in 1 cm of water and set a wire rack on top; the water stops the drips from smoking.
15 minStep 5: Lift the pork out and lay it on the rack with space between the strips. Pour the leftover marinade into a small pan, bring it to a full boil and simmer for 3 minutes until syrupy; this basting sauce has touched raw meat, so it must boil.
5 minStep 6: Roast the pork for 25 minutes, until the edges are starting to colour.
25 minStep 7: Turn the strips, brush them with the boiled basting sauce and roast for 20 minutes more. Top up the water in the tin if it has dried out.
20 minStep 8: Mix 3 tbsp honey with 1 tbsp hot water. Brush the strips generously, turn the oven up to 450°F (400°F fan) and roast for 5 minutes; turn, glaze the other side and roast for 5 minutes more, until sticky and charred in spots.
10 minStep 9: Check the thickest strip with a thermometer: pork must reach at least 145°F (145 °F), but char siu slices best at about 158°F, when the fat has softened. Give it a few more minutes if needed.
Step 10: Rest the pork on a board for 10 minutes (at least 3 minutes is the safe minimum) so the juices settle, then brush once more with any glaze left and slice across the grain about 5 mm thick. A common mistake is slicing at once: the juice runs out and the slices go dry.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does char siu take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 80 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of light soy sauce?
- Tamari, same amount (gluten free).
- What can I use instead of dark soy sauce?
- Tamari, same amount (gluten free).
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