"I'm craving char siu." –Sis

"Do you know how to make it?" Sis inquiries. "Or where I can get some that's not full of food coloring?"

"No, I leave that to Mom and Dad to make," I responded. But it had me thinking. I mean, why can't I make char siu? Granted it's not a family recipe I grew up with, but instead a dish reserved for special occasions.

We would buy char siu, but also siu yuk (crispy roast pork) together for take-out from our local Cantonese restaurant. You've probably seen it without being aware—whenever you're in a traditional Chinese sit-down joint, or walking through Chinatown, you'll notice various meats hanging from the window. Char siu hangs vibrantly red and siu yuk shines with the ripples of a perfectly crispy skin. You go in and tell the butcher how many pounds you want and they'll weild their cleaver and chop away at the displayed meats. This isn't for you vegetarians or vegans—sorry.

Both meats are incredibly difficult to get right and usually fall into the category of a "treat yo' self" meal. My family would order both when there was a birthday or holiday to celebrate, or if a promotion was had, or good grades earned. When my friends got pizza for a job well done, I got char siu and siu yuk. But you know what? I sort of thought it was better than a pepperoni pizza from Domino's. I mean char siu has this richly sweet and savory BBQ flavor and siu yuk has the wonderful crispiness of fried chicken, but mixed with classic Chinese five spice. Trust me, I was not missing out. 

Over time, Mom stopped buying the char siu because she got on the natural, organic health trend and said that char siu is nothing but food coloring. And so she had Dad make it instead, as he actually knows how, but it's just such an arduous process that we always went for take out because, well, convenience. What do you know? We really are true Americans. 

Mom's attempted to make siu yuk in the past, but hasn't been able to get the texture and flavor right, so I won't share that until she's mastered it. But three months after Sis asked me about char siu, I decided to ask Mom and Dad for the recipe, since that's one they've got down. I know my craving was delayed, but better late than never!

I would say, if you haven't tried char siu from the butcher in Chinatown, give it a go and then try our recipe. Treat yo' self to a taste test. You're worth it. 

Prep: 3 days | Cook: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS (FOR 3)

PREPARE

1. Slice pork shoulder into two lengthwise strips, about two to three inches thick. 

2. Mince the garlic and then prepare marinade by combining everything from the honey to the garlic in a bowl and whisk. 

3. Reserve about a quarter of the marinade in a separate bowl or Tupperware. This will be used at the very end, so set aside in refrigerator. 

4. Coat the pork shoulder in the remaining marinade, ensuring that every ounce of meat is covered by the sauce, and then place in zip lock bag. Let the flavors stew together in your fridge for a least 24 hours, but for best results, three days. 

COOK

1.  Welcome back! Hope you've had a nice three days, because your pork has been getting friendly with the marinade. Let's preheat the oven to 425 F. 

2. You want to use a roasting pan for this, same as you would for a turkey for Thanksgiving. The key to roasting char siu correctly is ensuring that everything is cooked evenly, so you don't want the pork to touch the pan. I made it work by grabbing the rack from our toaster oven and placing that over an aluminum foil-wrapped sheet pan.

3. Toss some water under the rack and onto the sheet pan, about a quarter cup, and place the strips of meat on the rack, ensuring there's a few inches between the pieces of pork. The water will keep the drippings from burning and keep the pork from drying out. Place in oven and set the timer for 15 minutes. 

4. Take out the pork and flip the meat; use a spoon to drizzle on some of the marinade from the ziplock bag. Add some water to the pan again. Place back in oven for another 15 minutes. 

5. Repeat step four two more times.

6. Make sure there's water on the pan and set your oven to broil, which will give the char siu a naturally reddish color while crisping the skin just slightly. Do this for about five minutes and up to 10 minutes, depending on your preferred level of crispness.

7. Remove from oven and use a brush to apply the reserved marinade.

8. Let cool.

EAT

Traditionally, we eat char siu with rice and a veggie dish—I've paired it with stir-fried bok choy. But once you have the meat done, you can eat it in a sandwich topped with scallion and cilantro or you can toss it into a bowl of noodle soup or lo mein. Char siu will keep up to a week in the fridge or several months in the freezer. Exercise your creativity and enjoy!