Char Siu Chinese BBQ Pork

Walk past a food stall in Hong Kong, and it's the char siu that tempts from the window: glossy, dark red pieces of pork with caramelized edges. The name literally means "fork-roasted," because the meat was traditionally skewered and hung in an oven. The marinade of hoisin, light soy sauce, and Chinese five-spice makes all the difference, and when the sugar meets the heat, a sweet and salty, sticky glaze forms around the meat. Let the pork neck marinate overnight, and you'll be rewarded with juicy meat for rice, noodles, and steaming bao.

• Cuisine: Chinese
• Time: 50 minutes + marinating
• Servings: 4 people
• Difficulty: Medium

Instructions

1. Cut the pork neck into long strips, not too thick - about 2-3 cm in thickness, so the marinade can penetrate all the way through, and the meat cooks evenly. Thinner strips are also authentic for char siu.
2. Whisk hoisin sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, Chinese five-spice powder, and pressed garlic together until a smooth marinade forms.
3. Reserve about one-third of the marinade in a bowl for basting, and thoroughly coat the meat with the rest. Place it in a bag or bowl, cover, and let it marinate for at least four hours, preferably overnight in the refrigerator.
4. Take the meat out half an hour before roasting, so it's not ice cold, and preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (fan-assisted).
5. Place the meat on a rack over a baking tray with a little water at the bottom - the water catches the drips and keeps the oven clean. Roast for about 25 minutes.
6. Baste with the reserved marinade, turn the meat, and baste again. Continue roasting at 200 degrees, turning and basting once more during the process, so the glaze builds up all around. If desired, increase the temperature to 220 degrees for the last few minutes to give the edges color and shine. Keep an eye on it, as the honey can burn quickly. The total roasting time is typically 30-45 minutes, depending on the thickness of the strips.
7. Always check that the meat is cooked through before removing it: insert a meat thermometer into the thickest strip and cook until the internal temperature is at least 70-72 degrees Celsius - or until the juices run clear and the meat is no longer pink in the middle. Only then, baste one last time with the reserved marinade to make the glaze shiny and sticky.
8. Let the meat rest under foil for ten minutes before slicing it thinly across the grain.
9. Serve with steaming jasmine rice, optionally pickled cucumbers, and a little of the reduced pan juices over it.

Tips

• Choose pork neck over tenderloin - the marbling keeps the meat juicy under high heat.
• Chinese five-spice powder gives the classic deep, slightly anise-flavored tone that characterizes authentic char siu.
• Leftovers are gold in fried rice or on top of a bowl of noodle soup the next day.
• If you prefer poultry, the same marinade works well on boneless chicken thighs.