Vietnamese BBQ Pork- “Xa-Xiu / Char Sui” Recipe
Vietnamese red roasted bbq pork. Known as Xa Xiu in Vietnamese or Char Siu in Cantonese, these are traditionally used in Banh Mi sandwiches and egg noodle dishes. I love them with a sticky and charred outside as if they were smoked on a bbq grill. MMMM nom nom nom
I totally forgot but as a kid my father would take me to the butcher and he would always have specific requests for the butcher 😂. I thought it was a little embarrassing at the time but now I can see that it was also about creating that good rapport, camaraderie, and friendship with his butcher. I always remember my dad coming home with a smile like he won the lottery and I understand now. He not only came home with a great cut of meat hand carved by his butcher but he was also excited to cook with it. I’m beginning to have that similar relationship by local butchers and they’ve taught me so much about the craft. I also have that same excitement in the kitchen that my dad has.
My dad, well, he’s quite the mad chef in the kitchen. That’s where I get most of my amazing culinary skills from. He’s super particular, precise, and that’s what made his dishes so great. For me, it’s a balancing act because my mom is a great chef too. But there’s stark differences between my parents. Though my doesn’t like to cook many Vietnamese dishes, she’s really quite good at it. My mom is a quick cooker, she can make a great meal in under an hour which is how she loves to cook (quick and easy). My dad, on the other hand, well, he can literally spend the whole day in the kitchen preparing a dinner meal! Ok, enough background story, let’s get on with the recipe!
*TIP: A little marbling of fat is good. I used a part of the pork shoulder called the Coppa which is the best part of the pork shoulder often used for curing because it’s a beautiful “dark meat with beautiful marbling and fat” according to my man, Stef Diaz, the infamous butcher at The Meat Wagon.
@Vietnamtourismboard #vietnomnom
PORK
1.5- 2 lbs pork (Pork Butt aka boston butt and pork shoulder are best cuts for this. Fattier cuts can also be used like pork neck or pork belly)
MARINADE
2 tbs Chinese BBQ Pork Seasoning Mix
1/2 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice Powder
1 tablespoon honey
2 tbs brown sugar
3/4 tsp white pepper (black will do if you don't have white)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
2 tbs red wine (enhances red color)
PREPARATION
1. Cut pork into 3 chunky strips about 2-3 inches thick and 6 inches long cut along the grain of meat, not against it!
2. Tenderize meat by stabbing meat all over with a fork (this will also help with marinating the meat better, poke the entire surface of both sides). Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, mix pork marinade ingredients until you get a nice and smooth paste mixture.
4. Rub with hands the pork marinade and put in a zip lock bag with all it's marinade juices, press bag to remove any excess air from bag, and massage bag with pork for about a minute to distribute the marinade and for marinade to penetrate pork. Marinate for at least 4 hours (6-8 hours is or overnight in fridge but do not marinate for more than 24 hours or meat will harden and cook drier). Every few hours return to zip lock back squish/massage bag/pork around for better marinating.
5. When you are ready to cook pork. Let pork sit out at until it reaches room temperature about 45min to 1.5 hours.
Air fry directions:
1. In large bowl, combine all marinade ingredients and mix well. (Reserve all marinade for brushing).
2. Line your air fryer with foil for easier cleanup.
3. Brush pork with marinade again before setting into air fryer.
3. Set air fryer to air roast mode if you have that option at 390 degrees and cook for about 13 min. After 13 min, brush on your reserved marinade over entire slab of meat (both sides), and cook meat for another 8-10 min at 300 degrees. Meat should be done after a total of about 20 minutes (Or when internal meat temperature is 145F).
*My first ones as pictured, I set the Air Fryer for 390 for 17 min to get the ultra charred exterior BUT if you want a medium roasted pork with more red exterior follow the instructions above in step #3.
Oven directions (approximate oven directions, I used an air fryer but this is what I would probably do in an oven)
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Line a pyrex pan with foil and add a wired rack into pan and place pork on the wired rack to catch any drippings. Place in middle tray of oven.
3. When oven reaches 375 degrees roast the pork for about 20-25 minutes on each side or when internal temperature of pork is about 145 degrees. Use the reserved marinade to brush on more marinade every time you flip the meat (try to re-coat meat at least 2-3 times)
4. Remove pork from oven and brush on honey/water glaze mixture, broil just for a minute or two on both sides until it's nice and caramelized.