Chinese Marinated Barbecue Pork

If you love pork, this recipe is for you! Prepared this way, after cooking, the pork becomes tender and almost melts with each bite, while its slightly sweet and sticky exterior gives it a divine taste.

The recipe takes about 1 hour and 35 minutes to prepare and is honestly worthy of all the good Chinese restaurants!

Ingredients

Marinade

• 1 1/2 tablespoons (22.5 ml) of brown sugar (or white sugar)
• 1/4 cup (65 ml) of honey
• 1/4 cup (65 ml) of hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of Chinese five-spice powder
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of oil (vegetable or canola)
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) of red food coloring, optional

Pork

• 1.2 - 1.5 kg / 2.4-3 lb of pork tenderloin or pork shoulder
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of honey

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Preparation

Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl.

Image source: Screenshot from Facebook / Recipe Tin

Cut the pork in half horizontally to create two long flat and thin pieces.

Image source: Screenshot from Facebook / Recipe Tin

Place the pork and marinade in a stain-resistant container or a sealed bag. Marinate for 24 to 48 hours (or at least 3 hours).

Image source: Screenshot from Facebook / Recipe Tin

Preheat the oven to 160°C / 320°F.

Line a tray with aluminum foil and place a rack on top.

Remove the pork from the marinade (reserve the marinade in which the pork soaked). Place the pork on the rack.

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Roast in the oven for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, pour the reserved marinade into a saucepan. 

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Pour the additional honey into the marinade. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for 2 minutes until the mixture is syrupy. Remove from heat.

Remove the pork from the oven. Brush the marinade on the surface of the top, then turn and brush the other side. Return to the oven for an additional 30 minutes.

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Remove the pork from the oven. Brush with marinade again on both sides, then roast for another 20 minutes. If the pork tends to char, cover with aluminum foil.

Brush again, then cook for another 10 minutes until the pork is caramelized and sticky. The meat should be tender but not fall apart. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Serve with rice and steamed Chinese vegetables. 

Notes:

If you don't have light soy sauce AND regular soy sauce, you can use just one of them. However, do not use dark soy sauce as its flavor is too strong for this recipe.

Chinese five-spice powder (a blend of spices) can generally be found in the herb and spice section of grocery stores or Asian markets.

The red food coloring is used to make the pork red, as you will find it in Chinese restaurants, but it is optional.

Pork shoulder is the ideal meat for this recipe as it becomes tender and juicy during cooking. If you use pork shoulder, make sure it is boneless and skinless. Remove most of the thick layer of fat on the surface.