Chinese BBQ pork · home oven
Char siu.
叉燒Marinate at least 8 hours, then roast for about an hour.
Pork shoulder in a sweet five-spice marinade, roasted on a rack over water and glazed with honey or maltose.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Marinate
- 8 h+
- Roast
- 1 h
- Serves
- 8
The three parts
- 01 /Prepare ingredients14 ingredients, mostly pantry
- 02 /Marinate15 minutes, at least 8 hours ahead
- 03 /RoastAbout an hour
Short version The whole recipe in six lines
- Night before: mix the marinade, save 2 Tbsp in a jar, marinate the pork 8 h+.
- Pan: foil, rack, pork with gaps, 1½ cups water. Oven 475°F, rack upper third.
- 10 min at 475°F, then 15 min at 375°F.
- Flip, turn the pan, 15 min. Mix glaze: jar + 2 Tbsp maltose or honey + 1 Tbsp hot water.
- Glaze, flip, glaze, 10 min. Broil 1–3 min if you want more char.
- 145°F+ inside. Last of the glaze, rest 10 min, slice.
Prepare ingredients
Use a well-marbled pork shoulder. The rest is mostly pantry staples.
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Marinate
About 15 minutes of work, then at least 8 hours in the fridge.
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Cut the pork into long strips, 2–3 inches thick.
Leave the fat on.
Details
Roughly the width of a deck of cards. The fat renders into the meat as it roasts.
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In a big bowl, mix everything on the list except the pork and the glaze items.
That's the sugar, salt, five-spice, white pepper, sesame oil, soy, hoisin, molasses, garlic, and the optional wine and colouring.
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Spoon 2 tablespoons of it into a small jar. Lid on, into the fridge.
This is tomorrow's glaze. Do it now, before the raw pork goes in.
Why
Marinade that has had raw pork in it can't be brushed on at the end. The jar is a clean batch for the glaze.
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Add the pork, coat it all over, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
At least 8 hours.
Roast
About an hour, mostly hands-off. Cook mode shows one step at a time with timers, and keeps the screen awake where the browser allows it.
Pan setup, bottom to top
The pork sits on the rack above the water, with space between pieces.
- 4Pork stripsOne layer, gaps between
- 3Metal rackSits in the pan, above the water
- 2Foil + 1½ cups waterPress foil into the pan; pour water over it
- 1Rimmed sheet pan
Roast timeline
Minutes per stage, from when the pork goes in. Preheating adds 15–20 minutes.
Glaze
Reserved marinade 2 Tbsp
Maltose or honey 2 Tbsp
Hot water 1 Tbsp
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Heat the oven to 475°F, with a rack in the upper third.
Take the pork and the jar out of the fridge.
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Set up the pan and put it in.
- Foil in the pan, rack on top.
- Pork on the rack, with gaps between pieces.
- Pour 1½ cups of water into the pan, under the rack.
- Into the oven once it's up to heat.
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Roast 10 minutes.
Leave the oven at 475°F.
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Turn the oven down to 375°F. Roast 15 minutes.
Leave the door closed.
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Flip every piece, turn the pan around, and roast 15 minutes.
Water nearly gone? Add 1 cup.
While it roasts, make the glazeThe jar of marinade + 2 tablespoons maltose or honey + 1 tablespoon hot water. Stir until smooth.
Details
Maltose is very stiff; 10 seconds in the microwave loosens it.
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Brush glaze on top, flip, brush the other side. Roast 10 minutes.
Keep a little glaze for the end.
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Want more char? Broil 1–3 minutes.
Optional. Skip it if the edges are already dark.
Watch it closely; the glaze burns fast.
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Check the thickest piece is at least 145°F.
160°F if you like it firmer.
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Brush on the last of the glaze. Rest 10 minutes, then slice.
Slice across the grain.
Fixes
Ovens vary. Check the pork at each step and turn the heat down if it darkens too quickly.
- Edges darkening too fast
- Drop the oven 25°F and skip the broil.
- Not glossy enough
- Another coat of glaze, then 1–2 minutes under the broiler.
- Under 145°F
- Five more minutes, then check again.
- Forgot to save marinade
- Glaze with the honey and hot water alone.
- No maltose
- Honey, same amount.
- Pan running dry
- Add a cup of water when you flip.
Recipe source: The Woks of Life, Chinese BBQ Pork (Cha Siu)