Cantonese Chinese · Dinner

Char siu pork

Name: Char siu pork
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 13 h 40 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Cantonese Chinese
Ingredients: 4 pounds well-marbled boneless pork shoulder; 3 cubes red fermented bean curd plus 2 tablespoons brine; 1/3 cup hoisin sauce; 2 tablespoons oyster sauce; 2 tablespoons light soy sauce; 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce; 1/4 cup Shaoxing wine; 1/3 cup sugar; 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder; 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper; 4 garlic cloves, finely grated; 2 tablespoons maltose or honey; 2 tablespoons hot water; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 4 cups steamed jasmine rice; 1 pound steamed bok choy

Long strips of pork shoulder marinated overnight with red fermented bean curd, hoisin, oyster sauce, soy, Shaoxing, five spice, and garlic, then roasted and maltose-glazed to charred mahogany edges.

About 13 hr 40 minTotal

About 1 hr 20 minActive

$$Cost

AdvancedDifficulty

Makes 8 servings

Equipment

Bake directly on a rimmed pan and turn once; the underside will be less evenly crisp.
Best starting point
Checkered Chef Half-Sheet Cooling Rack
View at Amazon
Another workable path: Bake directly on a rimmed pan and turn once; the underside will be less evenly crisp.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, Kwilt earns from qualifying purchases.
How we chose
Research-backed · reviewed Aug 2026
We matched the rack to the recipe’s half-sheet footprint, then checked oven-safe material, grid spacing, cleanup, stable product identity, and the exact Amazon destination. Kwilt has not cooked with this rack.
Checkered Chef Half-Sheet Cooling Rack: The half-sheet footprint and close stainless grid support wings while allowing rendered fat to drain and hot air to circulate around them. Trade-off: Confirm the interior dimensions of your existing pan; nominal half-sheet accessories can vary enough to fit poorly.
Another workable path: Bake directly on a foil-lined rimmed sheet pan and turn the food during cooking; the underside will be less evenly crisp.
Sources
Amazon exact product listing
Nordic Ware half-sheet dimensions

Ingredients

1× recipe · Makes 8 servings

4 pounds well-marbled boneless pork shoulder
3 cubes red fermented bean curd plus 2 tablespoons brine
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1/4 cup Shaoxing wine
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
4 garlic cloves, finely grated
2 tablespoons maltose or honey
2 tablespoons hot water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cups steamed jasmine rice
1 pound steamed bok choy

Instructions

Cut pork with the grain into long strips about 2 inches thick, leaving marbling. Mash bean curd and brine with hoisin, oyster and soy sauces, Shaoxing, sugar, five spice, white pepper, garlic, and salt.
Reserve 1/2 cup marinade before it touches meat. Coat pork with the rest and refrigerate 12 to 24 hours, turning once. Bring reserved marinade to a full boil for 2 minutes and cool.
Heat oven to 425°F. Set pork on a with 1 cup water below to catch drips. Roast 20 minutes, turn, baste with boiled marinade, and roast 15 minutes.
Mix maltose with hot water and remaining boiled marinade. Baste, turn, and roast until the thickest center reaches 145°F, 10 to 20 minutes more, replenishing pan water if it dries.
Broil in 1-minute watched intervals, turning and glazing, until edges char and shine. Rest 10 minutes, slice across the grain, and serve with rice and bok choy.

Guangdong and Hong KongCantonese siu mei roast-meat traditions

From the table

About this recipe

Char siu is Cantonese fork-roasted pork within the siu mei roast-meat tradition, traditionally hung in a specialized high-heat oven for airflow, rendered edges, repeated glazing, and char.

Char siu is Cantonese fork-roasted pork and part of the siu mei roast-meat tradition, traditionally hung in a specialized high-heat oven. A rack in a home oven cannot reproduce charcoal or hanging airflow, but it can preserve long strips, marination, repeated glazing, rendered edges, and final char. Red fermented bean curd contributes flavor and traditional color; no synthetic red dye is needed. This Kwilt version follows the reviewed household adaptation: Use the strongest paired rating pattern, preserve Cantonese fermented-bean-curd and maltose flavor, and replace red dye with honest ingredient color while making safe basting explicit.

Sources

Dinner does not stop at the recipe