Char Siu

Char siu (also spelled chashao, cha siu and char siew), otherwise known as barbecued pork in China or Chinese barbecued/roast pork outside China, is a popular way to prepare pork in Cantonese cuisine. "Char siu" literally means "fork burn/roast" after the traditional cooking method for the dish: long strips of seasoned boneless pork are skewered with long forks and placed in a covered oven or over a fire. (Source: wikipedia.com)

The best char siu i've ever had was quite possibly on my last visit to Vancouver. My uncle Stephen took us to this popular Chinese restaurant and specifically ordered the char siu because "it's the best char siu", and he was quite right. It was moist, perfectly glazed, and the perfect amount of lean meat to fat.

Kev loves char siu...that's probably an understatement. We always buy char siu when we're near chinatown. And when we visit Kev's parents in Ottawa, char siu is often waiting for our arrival. And there is often leftovers the next day or Kev will bring some home. I remember when I was younger, my mom would also buy char siu a lot because my sister likes char siu. Now, I'm kind sick of it.

A while ago, Kev picked up a pack of pork loin strips from Loblaws that was on sale. So I asked how he wants me to prepare it and he said "I don't know...char siu?". So I said fine, and found a char siu recipe for it.

2-3 pounds Pork butt, boneless, medium fat

3/4 cup Hoisin sauce
1/2 cup Soy sauce
1/2 cup Rice wine or dry sherry
1/3 cup Honey
1 Tbsp Sugar

1. Slice pork butt into strips about 2 inches wide and 5 inches long.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the hoisin, soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, honey and sugar. Add the pork strips and marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 425°F. Add a rack to a roasting pan and fill the pan with water to come just below the rack. Wipe any excess marinade from the pork and line the strips up neatly in the roasting pan.
4. Place the pan in the oven and roast for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325°F and roast for another 30-40 minutes, turning and basting frequently with the remaining marinade or with peanut or sesame oil.
5. Cut into bite-sized pieces and serve.

My knowledge of different meat cuts is zero. I have no idea about the different textures and quality. I only know filet mignon is a good cut meat, because of its price on menus. lol Although I don't know my meats, I do know that the pork loin that was chosen was way too lean to be good char siu. But I made it anyway, only to hear Kev complain about how dry it was. I marinaded the pork overnight, but was not really bursting with flavor. I also drizzled a bit of honey on it to give it a glazed look, corn syrup will work too. For the left overs, we used the char siu in soup noodles and it was less dry. The recipe/marinade itself was ok, perhaps a different and fattier piece of pork would have made the difference.