Ingredients:
¼ cup granulated white sugar
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon five spice powder
¼ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons molasses
1/8 teaspoon red food coloring (optional)
3 cloves finely minced garlic
2 tablespoons maltose or honey
1 tablespoon hot water
Directions:
Cut the pork into long strips or chunks about 2 to 3 inches thick. Don’t trim any excess fat, as it will render off and add flavor.
In a medium bowl combine the sugar, salt, Chinese five spice powder, white pepper, sesame oil, wine, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, molasses, food coloring (if using), and garlic in a bowl to make the marinade (i.e. the BBQ sauce).
Reserve about 2 tablespoons of marinade and set it aside. Rub the pork with the rest of the marinade in a large bowl or baking dish.
Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours. Cover and store the reserved marinade in the fridge as well.
Meanwhile, combine the reserved marinade with the maltose (is a very viscous form of sugar that you can heat up in the microwave to make it easier to work with) or honey along with 1 tablespoon hot water. This will be used for basting the pork.
Preheat your oven to 475°F (246°C) with the top third rack of the oven. Check the char siu every 10 minutes, reducing or increasing the temperature as needed.
Place the pork on the rack, leaving as much space as possible between pieces. Pour 1 ½ cups water into the pan below the rack. This prevents any drippings from burning or smoking.
Roast the pork for 25 minutes, keeping the oven setting at 475°F for the first 10 minutes of roasting, and then reduce your oven temperature to 375°F (190°C).
After 25 minutes, flip the pork. If the bottom of the pan is dry, add another cup of water. Turn the pan 180 degrees to ensure even roasting. Roast another 15 minutes. Throughout the roasting time, check your char siu often (every 10 minutes) and reduce the oven temperature if it looks like it is burning!
Meanwhile, combine the reserved marinade with the maltose or honey (maltose is very viscous––you can heat it up in the microwave to make it easier to work with) and 1 tablespoon hot water. This will be the sauce you’ll use for basting the pork.
After 40 minutes of total roasting time, baste the pork, flip it, and baste the other side as well. Roast for a final 10 minutes.
By now, the pork has cooked for 50 minutes total. It should be cooked through and caramelized on top. If it’s not caramelized to your liking, you can turn the broiler on for a couple minutes to crisp the outside and add some color/flavor. Be sure not to walk away during this process, since the sweet char siu BBQ sauce can burn if left unattended. You can also use a meat thermometer to check if the internal temperature of the pork has reached 160 degrees F. (Update: USDA recommends that pork should be cooked to 145 degrees F with a 3 minute resting time)
Remove from the oven and baste with the last bit of reserved BBQ sauce. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing, and enjoy!
