Barbecue-Shop Char Siu with Maltose Glaze

Method

1. Cut the pork along the grain into strips 4 cm thick and 5 cm wide (2 strips of about 200 g). Prick them all over with a fork and pat completely dry with kitchen paper; a dry surface takes the marinade better.

   Add in this stepPork collar (shoulder/butt), boneless, well marbled 400 g

2. Finely grate the garlic, shallot and ginger. Mash the fermented bean curd with a fork, then whisk in the hoisin, light soy, oyster sauce, dark soy, Shaoxing wine, sugar, five-spice, white pepper, sesame oil and the grated aromatics until smooth. Massage it into the pork, seal in a zip bag with the air pressed out and marinate in the fridge for 12 h (up to 24 hours), turning the bag once.

   Add in this stepHoisin sauce 2 tbspLight soy sauce 1 tbspOyster sauce 1 tbspDark soy sauce 1½ tspShaoxing rice wine 1 tbspSugar 2 tbspRed fermented bean curd (cubes) 1Five-spice powder ½ tspGround white pepper 1 pinchGarlic cloves 2Shallot 1Fresh ginger 10 gToasted sesame oil 1 tsp

3. Take the pork out 45 minutes before roasting. Scrape the marinade off the meat into a small saucepan and keep it for the sauce. Line a tray with foil, add 1 cm of hot water and set a rack on top. Preheat the oven to 180°C for 15 min.

   oven

4. Roast the strips on the rack on the middle shelf of the oven at 180°C for 15 min, turn them over and roast for 15 min more. Low and steady first: the inside cooks gently without the sugars burning. Take the tray out and turn the oven up for glazing (see step 6).

   oven

5. While the oven heats up, warm the maltose with the hot water in a small pan on low heat for 1 min, stirring until runny and brushable (cold maltose is rock-hard). Add the sauce water to the reserved marinade, bring to a full boil on medium heat and boil for 2 min, stirring; this makes it safe to serve as a sauce.

   Add in this stepMaltose (or honey) 1½ tbspHot water (for the glaze) 1 tbspWater (for the sauce) 50 ml

   low heat→medium heat

6. Brush the pork thickly with the maltose glaze and roast in the oven at 230°C for 5 min. Brush again and roast for 3 min, until the surface is lacquered and the edges are blistered and lightly charred. Check that the thickest part reaches at least 71 °C.

   oven

7. Rest for 10 min, then brush one last time with any remaining glaze for shine and slice 1 cm thick across the grain. Serve with the warm sauce, steamed rice and blanched greens.