Char-siu

Ingredients:

• 1.3 kg pork shoulder, skinless, boneless and without excess fat, cut along the grain into long pieces 2.5 cm thick.
• 0.5 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp. l. Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp red sauce from Chinese fermented tofu
• 1 tbsp peeled and grated ginger root
• 1.5 tsp Chinese Five Spice Powder
• 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 2 pieces of fermented tofu in red sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons of honey

Preparation:

1. Place the pork shoulder in a zip-lock plastic bag. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, rice wine, hoisin sauce, light soy sauce, peanut butter, red tofu sauce, ginger, five-spice powder, dark soy sauce, tofu, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper. Strain 1/2 cup of the marinade into the bowl and stir in the honey. Cover the glaze and refrigerate.
2. Meanwhile, pour the remaining marinade into the bag with the pork and massage the meat until it's completely coated. Seal the bag, squeezing out as much air as possible, and refrigerate for 24 hours.
3. Remove the pork from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature, about 1 hour.
4. When the pork is almost done roasting, preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C), setting the rack to the middle position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with two layers of foil and place the rack on top. Generously spray the rack with cooking spray and set aside.
5. Place the pork slices on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart, then pour 1/3 cup of cold water into the pan. Roast, rotating the pan halfway through, until the internal temperature of the thickest piece of pork reaches 145°F (63°C) on a meat thermometer, about 55 minutes.
6. Remove the pork from the oven and turn the oven to grill mode.
7. Turn the pork slices over and broil until the surface is dry, about 7 minutes. Brush the surface of the pork with about half of the cooled glaze. Broil until the glaze is caramelized and bubbly, about 9 minutes. Flip the pork slices again and brush with the remaining glaze. Broil until the glaze is caramelized and bubbly, about 9 minutes.
8. Let the meat rest for about 10 minutes. If desired, cut into pieces and serve.
   
   Note
   
   Char siu is often prepared with red food coloring. This recipe doesn't call for it, but you can add 1/4 teaspoon of red food coloring to the marinade if desired.