{"id":10401,"date":"2017-06-16T01:00:58","date_gmt":"2017-06-15T17:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theburningkitchen.com\/?p=10401"},"modified":"2021-05-19T14:32:14","modified_gmt":"2021-05-19T06:32:14","slug":"grilled-char-siu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theburningkitchen.com\/grilled-char-siu\/","title":{"rendered":"Grilled Char Siew (Sticky Chinese Roast Pork)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Charsiew<\/p>\n

STORY BEHIND THE RECIPE<\/span><\/h1>\n

For all those dry wonton mee lovers out there,\u00a0here’s the recipe for Char Siew (Sticky Chinese BBQ Pork) to go along with your wonton noodles<\/a><\/strong>!\u00a0For me, whenever I eat wonton noodles, having some Char Siew to go along with the dish is a MUST that I cannot miss out.<\/p>\n

So today I’m posting Mum’s delicious Char Siew recipe. The best part is that you can save the leftovers (IF any!) to make Yang Zhou Fried Rice<\/a> for a quick meal!<\/p>\n

\"Picked<\/p>\n

TRICK OF THE TRADE<\/span><\/h1>\n

Which Cut of Meat?<\/h3>\n

For Char Siew, the cut of meat used is very important<\/strong> – the most fat content, the more juicy (but more unhealthy!) the Char Siew will be.<\/p>\n

Rather than using cuts like Pork Belly or Pork Armpit (or Bu Jian Tian \u4e0d\u89c1\u5929 because that body part of the pig “never sees the sky” – yes our local butchers do have a sense of humour!), we usually stick to using Pork Shoulder\u00a0(or Wu Hua Rou \u4e94\u82b1\u8089) because it has the right\u00a0balance of fats and meat to suit\u00a0our family’s tastes.<\/p>\n

You may have thought all along\u00a0that this popular cut of meat is long and thin, just like what you get at the food stalls. But in fact the cut of meat is more squarish \/ rectangular in shape<\/strong>, and in order to get the meat into one long thin strip, you have to make a few partial cuts in the meat\u00a0from alternating\u00a0directions like the picture below. This is one handy trick that I learnt from my Mum!<\/p>\n

\"Row<\/p>\n

Grilling Smart!<\/h3>\n

After marinating the meat, you can put it in the oven to grill for half an hour. I prefer to use my trusty Turbo Broiler which is much smaller, portable and easier to clean<\/strong>. Turbo Broilers or Turbo Ovens\u00a0are a great alternative if you don’t have your own oven – I\u00a0use it very often to make Roast Chicken<\/a><\/strong> and Siew Yoke (Crispy Pork Belly)<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and they always turn out really crispy and evenly cooked!<\/p>\n

During the grilling, don’t forget to occasionally bast the Char Siu with the gravy and maltose, which is what gives the Char Siew that glossy sticky glaze.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Picked<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Update 27 Jul 2017<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We redid this dish using Mum’s favourite Cheong Chan Elephant Brand dark soy sauce (also known as cooking caramel). We used another brand of dark soy sauce the first time, but it turned out to be more salty and very dark coloured. I wasn’t completely satisfied with the photos, so we decided to do it again.<\/p>\n

Look at the result of our take 2 photo shoot! This char siu looks so beautiful that I had to share it with all of you. Taste-wise, its the same, but I definitely give plus points to Take 2, for the beautiful and appetising colour of the Char Siu!<\/p>\n

\"Row<\/p>\n

HOW TO MAKE CHAR SIEW?<\/span><\/h1>\n
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Wash the pork and pat dry.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Cut the pork\u00a0into 3 or 4\u00a0strips (depending on the size of the pork)\u00a0in a zig zag manner to form one long continuous\u00a0strip without cutting through to the ends.<\/p>\n

\"Pork<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In a plastic container, add in all the marinade ingredients except the maltose. Give it a stir and mix well until the sugar dissolves.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Put the pork into the marinade and coat it well.\u00a0Leave it for at least 7 hours or overnight in the fridge, turning it occasionally.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Take out the pork from the fridge and leave until it is at room temperature before grilling.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Turn on the Turbo Broiler to 240*C. Place the\u00a0pork on a rack\u00a0to grill for 10-15 mins. Turn the pork over and continue to grill for another\u00a010 mins.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Meanwhile pour the left-over\u00a0marinade in a bowl and microwave it for a few seconds or until it bubbles. Be careful not to over-heat until it spills over.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Pour the hot marinade into another bowl over a sieve to remove and discard the lumpy bits of scum.<\/p>\n

\"Filtering<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Add the maltose into the heated marinade, and stir until it dissolves and becomes\u00a0sticky. You can also pour the mixture into a small pan and heat over low heat until it thickens.<\/p>\n

\"Adding<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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After 10\u00a0minutes of grilling the pork, bast it with the marinade and continue to grill for another few minutes until the edges of the meat is slightly charred. Turn the pork over and repeat the same process. Do not overcook the meat.<\/p>\n

\"Resting<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Slice up\u00a0the Char Siew and serve hot with\u00a0Wonton Noodles<\/b><\/a>. Garnish with Crispy Garlic and Garlic Oil\u00a0(See my Cold Tofu with Crispy Garlic recipe for the Crispy Garlic recipe)<\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Charsiew<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/h1>\n

MARKETING TIPS<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n
    \n
  1. Besides using Pork Shoulder (Wu Hua Rou, Five Flower Meat), you can also use the Pig Armpit\u00a0‘Bu Jian Tian \u4e0d\u89c1\u5929’ (Never sees the sky) or Pork Belly called ‘San Ceng Rou \u4e09\u5c42\u8089’ (3 layers pork)\u00a0minus the skin.<\/strong> These parts have fats in between the lean meat that prevent them from drying during the cooking process. It will\u00a0give\u00a0it a glossy look\u00a0and tender texture as the fats melt.<\/li>\n
  2. Tell the butchers\u00a0you want to make Char Siew<\/strong> when you buy the pork from the wet market or at the supermarket and they will know how to cut it for you. That will save you the trouble of cutting it yourself.<\/li>\n
  3. Use Elephant brand Dark Soy Sauce<\/strong> (also known as Cooking Caramel)for the dark soya sauce, which is not too salty and the colour is not as dark as other brands, so the food looks more appetising as well.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    COOKING TIPS<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n
      \n
    1. Watch closely<\/strong> when warming up the marinade in the microwave. Do not let it\u00a0over heat\u00a0and spill out other wise you will have no gravy left to glaze the Char Siew.<\/li>\n
    2. Use any leftover marinade after basting the\u00a0Char Siu as gravy.<\/strong><\/li>\n
    3. Use any left-over Char Siew<\/strong> for\u00a0Yang Chow Fried Rice \u626c\u5dde\u7092\u996d,<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0or add it to your Wonton Noodles<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

       <\/p>\n

      ALTERNATIVES<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n
        \n
      1. If you do not have a turbo broiler, you can use the oven.<\/strong> Place the pork in the upper rack and turn on only the top heat. You will need\u00a0to adjust the temperature according to your own oven.<\/li>\n
      2. If you are health conscious, you can use tenderloin<\/strong> but the cooking time should be shorter and it will be a bit drier. Therefore you need to get a thicker piece from the butcher.<\/li>\n
      3. If you want the Char Siew to be red in colour, add\u00a01\/4 tsp red food coloring<\/strong> to it. But\u00a0I normally do not do it because I prefer to have it natural.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

         <\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        DIETARY MODIFICATIONS<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n