Oven-Baked Honey BBQ Pork - Char Siew (蜜汁叉烧)

Contrary to belief that making Char Siew (BBQ Pork) is a cumbersome and complex process, you can actually make a quick Char Siew Rice dinner on a busy work-week night. 

Marinate the pork the night before and just pop the meat into the oven for 30 minutes while you cook the rice.  Dinner will be ready in less than an hour.  

It is important to choose the right cut of meat for making Char Siew.  I usually use pork collar which has slightly more fat but gives juicer meat and is more tender.  You can also use pork shoulder if you prefer the meat to be leaner.  Tell your butcher your are using it for making Char Siew, so that he will cut the meat into long strips. 

Making the perfect Char Siew requires some trials and errors.  Some prefer it to be sweeter, others prefer it to be more "burnt".  Adjust the marinade and cooking duration accordingly to your liking.  But this is definitely one quick meal recipe to keep. 

Oven-Baked Honey BBQ Pork - Char Siew 蜜汁叉烧  

(Serve 4 - 5 person) 

Ingredients:

600g Pork Collar or Pork Shoulder

Marinade:

2 tbsp Sugar
1 piece Red Fermented Bean curd (Nam Yu)
2 tbsp Preserved Soy Bean Paste (Tao Cheo)
2 tbsp Hoisin Sauce (Lee Kam Kee Brand)
2 tbsp Oyster Sauce
2 tbsp Rice Wine or Rose Wine
6 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
1 tsp Dark Soy Sauce (Thick)
Some Red Colouring 

Glazing Syrup:

Mix 2 tbsp Maltose with 1 tbsp water.  Heat up in microwave for 20 seconds.  Cool for use.

Directions:

1. Mix meat with all marinade ingredients in a large bowl.  Keep it refrigerated overnight.
2. To bake meat, preheat oven at 200ºC.
3. Place marinated meat on a baking tray, bake for 20 minutes.
4. Remove meat from oven. Brush glazing syrup on meat.  Switch oven to grilling function. Grill meat under the hot rods for 5 minutes.  
5. Turn meat and glaze the other side.  Grill for another 5 minutes.
6. Slice meat diagonally and serve.
    

Tips:

• To make the sauce, mix 3 tablespoon of the marinade mixture to 1 cup of water and bring it to a boil.  Thicken sauce with a little corn starch solution.