Char Siu Pork at Home
Tools
- Meat thermometer
- Baking sheet
- Aluminum Foil
- Plastic zip-lock bags or a locking food container
- Wire rack (optional)
- Small saucepan
Ingredients
- 2 pork tenderloins
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons runny honey, plus 2 extra for glaze
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons Chinese five spice powder
- 2 (or more) cloves of garlic, finely grated
- 1 inch (2 cm) knob of ginger finely grated, or a decent blob of ginger paste
Instructions
- Combine all marinade ingredients and whisk
- Place the marinade and the tenderloin in a large plastic bag or locking container
- Marinate in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours if possible. Ideally over night.
- When you are ready to cook the pork, take it out of the fridge and let it rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- Pour the remaining marinade into a small sauce pan and add 2 tablespoons of honey.
- While the tenderloin is baking (see below) boil and simmer the remaining marinade sauce until it is thick and syrupy
Baking Variants
Maximum Effort Baking
- Preheat the oven to 350F
- Place a wire rack over a large baking sheet, lined with aluminum foil.
- Pour about a cup of hot or boiling water into the tray, this will steam up and keep the pork moist.
- Place the pork on the rack and cook in the oven for about 30 minutes.
- You can baste the pork with the marinade syrup every 10 minutes if you'd like, I usually wait until the end.
- It is done when the meat thermometer reads 145F. Our oven kind of sucks so I often have to cook it for 40 minutes.
Less Effort Baking
- Preheat the oven to 400F
- Wrap each tenderloin in a sheet of aluminum foil, with the seam on top.
- Bake on a baking sheet for 20-25 minutes, until the thermometer reads 145F.
- Open the aluminum foil before finishing.
Finishing
- When the meat thermometer reads 145F set the oven to broil on high.
- Baste the pork with the syrupy marinade sauce and broil it, checking every 3-5 minutes.
- We want caramelization of the sauce, but no burning.
- Take the pork out of the oven and let rest on the counter top for 10 minutes.
- Slice as thin or as thick as you'd like and serve immediately.
We do two tenderloins at once, sharing one for this meal and using the leftovers to make fancy ramen, chow mein or even quesadillas the next day.
Sources
Original marinade and cooking instructions from Eat, Little Bird
Easy cooking instructions from Carlsbad Cravings
