Overnight Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork) with Honey Glaze

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A double batch of glossy, lacquered Chinese barbecue pork built from one cheap pork shoulder. The overnight marinade — hoisin, fermented red bean curd, Shaoxing and five spice — does all the heavy lifting; a two-stage honey glaze under high heat gives you the burnished, slightly charred edges of a Chinatown roast-meat window. Roast it Sunday and the slices carry fried rice, noodle bowls and steamed buns all week.

Ingredients

• 4 lb boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), well marbled
• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 6 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1/4 cup light soy sauce
• 3 tbsp Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
• 3 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 3 cube fermented red bean curd, mashed, plus 1 tbsp of its brine
• 5 clove garlic, finely grated
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1 1/2 tsp Chinese five spice powder
• 1 tsp ground white pepper
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp red food coloring (optional, for the classic red edge)

• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup reserved marinade
• 2 tbsp hot water
• 1 tsp rice vinegar

• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• hot mustard or chili oil, for dipping

Instructions

1. Cut the pork shoulder with the grain into long strips about 2 inches thick, 2 to 3 inches wide, and 8 to 10 inches long — you should get 5 or 6 pieces. Leave the fat cap on; it bastes the meat and crisps under the glaze. Trim only hard gristle or silverskin. Season the strips all over with the kosher salt.
2. Whisk all marinade ingredients together in a bowl until the sugar dissolves and the red bean curd is fully broken down, about 1 minute. Set aside 1/4 cup of the marinade in a small covered container in the fridge — this is for the glaze and must never touch raw pork.
3. Put the pork strips in a large zip-top bag or a nonreactive dish and pour over the remaining marinade. Massage until every surface is coated. Seal, refrigerate, and marinate at least 12 hours and ideally 24 to 36 hours, turning the bag once or twice.
4. Pull the pork out of the fridge 45 minutes before roasting. Heat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the upper-middle position. Pour 3 cups of water into a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan and set a wire rack over it — the water catches drips, prevents smoking, and keeps the oven humid.
5. Lift the strips from the marinade, letting the excess drip off, and lay them on the rack with at least an inch between pieces. Discard the used marinade. Roast 30 minutes.
6. While it roasts, make the glaze: combine the reserved 1/4 cup marinade, the honey, hot water and rice vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook 2 minutes, stirring, until slightly syrupy. Remove from heat.
7. At the 30-minute mark, flip each strip and brush lightly with glaze. Roast another 25 minutes, then flip and glaze again. The pork should register 155°F to 160°F on an instant-read thermometer at this point; if it is under, give it another 10 minutes.
8. Raise the oven to 475°F (or switch to broil with the rack 6 inches from the element). Brush the pork generously with glaze and roast 5 to 7 minutes, until the edges blacken in spots and the surface goes tacky and lacquered. Flip, glaze the second side, and give it another 5 to 7 minutes. Watch closely from minute 3 — honey goes from caramel to bitter fast.
9. Transfer to a cutting board, brush with any remaining glaze while hot, and rest 15 minutes. The internal temperature should land around 165°F to 170°F; unlike lean cuts, shoulder stays juicy here because of the fat.
10. Slice across the grain about 1/4 inch thick, fanning the pieces out. Scatter with scallions and sesame seeds and serve warm with hot mustard or chili oil, over rice, or tucked into steamed buns.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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