How to Make Char Siu Pork aka Sweet Pork or Red Meat

Char siu is often cooked on skewers in Chinese restaurants, but can easily be cooked in your oven at home.

Char siu pork, also known as Chinese barbecue pork or Chinese roasted pork, originated in southeastern China and has gradually become a staple of modern Chinese food. Chinese restaurants have been known to hang slabs of roasted char siu in their windows to attract customers. This char siu, while a popular dish, is often tinted or even saturated with red dye to give the meat a more eye-catching appearance. For a dye-free roasted pork dish with the same renowned flavor, you can easily prepare char siu pork in your home.

Things You'll Need

• 1 ½ - 3 pounds unsliced pork belly
• ½ cup rice wine
• 2 tbsp soy sauce, dark or light
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 3 garlic cloves (optional)
• 2 tbsp honey
• ¾ cup hoisin sauce
• ½ tsp 5-spice powder

Instructions

1. Combine the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice wine and sugar into a large mixing bowl. Add garlic cloves for extra flavoring.

2. Soak the pork belly in the marinade mixture. Marinate the pork for 2 to 3 hours in the refrigerator, until the meat is fully saturated.

3. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Rub any excess marinade off of the pork, but keep a thin layer on the meat for flavor. Place the meat in a roasting pan. A pan with a rack is ideal, but is not essential. Fill the pan with water just below the rack for extra tender meat.

4. Place the roasting pan in the oven and allow the meat to roast for 40-45 minutes. After 20 minutes, flip the pork belly over and glaze the surface with honey. As the meat cooks, add leftover marinade sauce for extra flavor. For more variety, add peanut or sesame oil.

5. Observe the changes in the pork as it roasts. The pork is finished cooking when it is crisp and slightly blackened and the texture is firm.

6. Remove the pork from the oven and allow it to cool for several minutes. Slice the meat into thin pieces over a cutting board and serve it hot.

Tips & Warnings

• If you do not have rice wine, use dry cooking sherry instead.

References

• What's 4 Eats: Char Siu
• Appetite for China; Chinese Barbecue Pork: Char Siu