Char Siu — Cantonese BBQ Pork

Sticky, glossy Cantonese barbecue pork sliced thin and served as a starter with mustard.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 25 min
Cook: 40 min
Total: 1 hour 5 minutes
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
❌
Serves
6 people (as a starter)
Difficulty
Medium

Ingredients

  • 800g pork collar (neck end), cut lengthways into 3 strips about 4cm thick
  • For the marinade: 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
  • 2 tbsp clear honey
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 cube red fermented bean curd (nam yu), mashed with 1 tbsp of its liquid
  • 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • For the glaze: 2 tbsp clear honey
  • 1 tbsp hot water
  • To serve: English mustard and toasted sesame seeds

Method

  1. Mix all the marinade ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Pierce the pork all over with a fork, add to the marinade and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, ideally overnight, turning once. This time is not included in the preparation time.

  2. Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan). Line a roasting tin with foil, set a wire rack on top and pour 200ml water into the tin to stop the drips burning.

  3. Lift the pork from the marinade, letting the excess drip off, and lay the strips on the rack, well spaced. Keep the marinade.

  4. Roast for 15 minutes. Brush with the leftover marinade, turn the strips over and roast for 10 minutes more.

  5. Mix the glaze ingredients. Brush the pork with the glaze, then roast for a final 10 to 15 minutes, brushing once more, until the edges are lightly charred and the pork is cooked through. A thermometer in the thickest part should read at least 70°C.

  6. Rest for 10 minutes, then slice thinly across the grain. Serve warm or at room temperature with English mustard and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.