Cherry-Smoked Char Siu Pork Shoulder

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A whole pork shoulder rubbed with hoisin, five-spice and ginger, then smoked low and slow over cherry wood until it pulls apart. The last stretch on the smoker sets a sticky honey glaze into a glossy, faintly sweet bark — char siu flavour on a Sunday-dinner scale, with almost no hands-on work.

Ingredients

• 4 lb boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt)
• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 tbsp Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
• 2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• 4 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar

• 3 chunks cherry wood

Instructions

1. Whisk the hoisin, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, five-spice, garlic, ginger and salt in a bowl. Measure out 1/2 cup and set it aside in the fridge for the glaze. Trim the pork shoulder of any hard surface fat, leaving a thin 1/4-inch layer, then rub it all over with the remaining marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
2. Set up your smoker for indirect cooking at 250°F (120°C) and add 2 chunks of cherry wood once the coals are lit and the smoke runs thin and blue. Take the pork out of the fridge while the smoker comes to temperature.
3. Place the pork fat-side up directly on the grate and smoke at 250°F for about 3 hours, adding the third cherry chunk after the first hour. You are looking for a deep mahogany bark and an internal temperature of about 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part.
4. Lay the pork on a double layer of heavy foil, splash 2 tablespoons of water over it, and wrap tightly. Return to the smoker and cook another 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until an instant-read thermometer slides into the centre with no resistance at an internal temperature of 200-203°F (93-95°C).
5. While the pork finishes, bring the reserved 1/2 cup marinade, the honey and the rice vinegar to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until it is glossy and coats the back of a spoon, then remove from the heat.
6. Open the foil, brush the pork generously with half the glaze, and set it back on the grate uncovered. Raise the smoker to 275°F (135°C) and cook 20 minutes, brushing once more halfway, until the glaze is tacky and shining.
7. Rest the pork, loosely tented, for 20 minutes. Pull it into chunks with two forks or slice it thickly against the grain, spoon over any juices from the foil, and serve with the remaining glaze.

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Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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