Char Siu (Cantonese Roast Pork)

About Char Siu (Cantonese Roast Pork)

Char siu is the lacquered Cantonese roast pork you see hanging in the windows of Chinese barbecue shops, its edges burnished a deep mahogany-red and glossy with glaze. The name literally refers to the traditional method of skewering strips of pork and roasting them over fire, and the cut of choice is pork shoulder, whose marbling keeps the meat juicy through the high heat. It is a cornerstone of Cantonese cooking, eaten over rice, tucked into buns, or sliced into noodle soups.

This version builds its flavor from a marinade of hoisin, two soy sauces, Shaoxing wine, and five-spice, with honey reserved for a glaze brushed on late so the sugars caramelize rather than burn. The long chill — at least four hours, ideally overnight — lets that sweet-savory, faintly anise-scented mixture soak deep into the meat. Roasting on a rack set over a tray of water keeps the oven moist while the edges char, and repeated basting builds the signature sticky, glistening crust. Serve it sliced over steamed rice with a little of the pan juices, or use it to fill bao and fried rice; it is protein-rich and, apart from the glaze, relatively low in carbs.