Chinese Barbecued Pork #2/ Char siu- Thịt Xá Xiú

     I would like to share with you another Chinese Barbecue Pork with a pungent marinade consists of hoisin sauce, oyster sauce and red bean curd,etc. I just found a brand of oyster sauce w/o MSG from Thailand "Dragon fry" at Sunrise market.  Red bean curd is fermented tofu with ground red rice, rice wine and other seasoning.  It is good for a long time in the fridge.  Char siu can be served like an appetizer with slices of cucumber or as a garnish to other dish-rice, fried rice, stir-fried vegetable, won ton soup, etc.  It can be frozen too.  I have one simpler recipe  for pork char siu here if you do not have hoisin, oyster sauce or fermented bean curd/ ground bean sauce.
Make 6 servings:

• 1½ lbs. pork shoulder or butt 
• 1 tsp finely grated ginger 
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 shallot , minced
• 1 Tbs oyster sauce
• 2 Tbs hoisin sauce
• 1/2 tsp Five-spice powder 
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1½ Tbs soy sauce
• 1½ tsp red fermented bean curd or bean sauce
• 1½ Tbs sugar
• 2 Tbs rice wine or dry sherry
• 2 Tbs clear honey or Maltose, melt
• 
  

Cut pork in  1"x 2" (2.5 cm x 5 cm) trips down the length of the meat.   Mix all the ingredients except honey/maltose until well blended. Place pork strips in one layer a shallow container  or a plastic bag and pour marinade over them, turn the pork so it is coated well.  Cover and let it marinate at least 6 hours or overnight in the fridge. Turn the strips/bag occasionally.

One hour before baking, take the pork out to cool down at room temperature to help even cooking.  Preheat oven to 350 oF(estimate timing that the oven reaches to 350  the end of that one hour).  Pick the pork out  and place on a rack over a roasting pan ( or use metal S shaped hooks, hang pork strips to the top rack) , reserve marinade.

Boil reserved marinade in a small pot.  Take out 3 Tbs cooked marinade and mix well with honey, set aside. Taste and adjust seasoning with soy sauce and sugar and serve a  dipping sauce.

When the oven is ready, fill the roasting pan with hot water about 1 inch height.  Bake 30 minutes, baste pork strips with honey mixture all sides. Turn over and bake for 15 minutes and baste again.  Continue baking about 10-15 more minutes until golden brown and internal temperature is at least 145 oF.

Remove from oven, baste one more time, cover with foil and let it rest 5-10 minutes.  Cut in thin slices (1/4 inch) diagonally and serve hot or cold.