Char Siu - Chinese BBQ Pork

Ingredients

•  2lb pork butt

Marinade/BBQ sauce

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1.5 tbsp ground bean sauce
• 1.5 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 4 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (rose flavored wine preferred)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• ½ tbsp kosher salt or 1/3 tbsp table salt
• 1 tsp five spice powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 star anise (optional)
• 1 bay leaf (optional)

Honey Glaze

• 4 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp water

Method

1.Slice the pork along the grain to ½ inch thick slices. Thinner slice makes it easier for the flavor to penetrate. To get the best flavor and texture, brine the pork in salt water over night before adding the marinade

2.Make the BBQ sauce by combining all the sauce ingredients in a small pot. Cook over low heat while mixing until the sauce is smooth. About 3 minutes. Set aside to cool. This can be done in advance

3.Pour the BBQ sauce over the sliced pork. Make sure that you turn the pork over so that all sides are coated with the marinade. You can also marinate the pork in a sealed Ziploc bag. Keep the pork in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours

4.You can roast the pork on an outdoor grill or an oven. To roast the pork in an oven, first preheat the oven to 375 F or 190 C. Brush off the extra BBQ sauce on the pork and place the pork on a grilling rack with a tray beneath to capture the dripping. Do not place the meat directly on a tray. Roast the pork for 20 minutes on each side. Save the leftover pork marinade

5.While the pork is roasting/grilling, combine the glaze ingredients in a small pot and heat over low heat while mixing. Keep stirring until the honey, water, and sugar are well incorporated. About 2 minutes. Turn off the heat. The glaze should be a running sticky paste

6.Take the pork out after 40 minutes of roasting or grilling. Generously pour the glaze over top of the pork and let it run down. Make sure all sides of the pork are coated with the glaze. Brush off the excess glaze if necessary

7.Set the oven to 425 F or 219 C and place the pork back to the oven. Roast for another 5 minutes on each side or until the pork is slightly charred. Take out the pork and let it cool a little bit

8.Lastly, in a pot, combine a few tbsp of water, pork marinade leftover, and any dripping collected. Bring to boil. Add soy sauce and sugar to taste. This will be the au jus used for serving the pork.