Smoked Char Siu Pork

Ingredients

• 6 pounds boneless pork shoulder (cut into 2 ½ to 3-inch thick pieces)
• ½ cup soy sauce
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup Hoisin sauce
• 2 Tablespoons red miso paste
• 1 ½ Tablespoons Chinese 5 spice powder
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon red food coloring (optional)

Steps

1. 1

   Make the marinade. Add all sauce ingredients to a saucepan over medium heat, then whisk until everything is incorporated. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat. Allow the sauce to simmer until it thickens. Remove your pan from the heat, then let it cool down a little before marinating the pork. Reserve about ½ cup of the marinade to use for basting during the smoking process.

2. 2

   Marinate the pork. Place your pork pieces in a large glass bowl, then pour the marinade over them. Make sure all the pork is evenly coated, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but I recommend going overnight if you have the time.

3. 3

   Preheat your smoker. Set your smoker to 225 degrees F. I recommend a mild wood so you don’t overpower the flavor of the marinade.

4. 4

   Smoke the pork. Remove the pork from the marinade, then place it directly on the grates of your smoker. Close the lid and let it smoke for about 3 hours, flipping halfway through. Use a basting brush to add the reserved marinade every 30-45 minutes, closing the lid in between.

5. 5

   Rest, slice, and enjoy. Once your pork reaches the internal temperature for your desired doneness using a reliable meat thermometer (145-150 degrees F for medium rare, 150 degrees F for medium well, 160 degrees F for well done), transfer it to a cutting board or serving platter. Tent the pork with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes. This gives all the juices time to redistribute so you don’t lose all that flavor when slicing. After resting your pork, use a sharp knife to cut into ¼-inch thick slices. Drizzle with more of the reserved marinade, serve, and enjoy!