Pork Jowl Char Siu 貴妃叉燒 is my absolute favourite char siu! The meat is crispy, very juicy and has the perfect lean to fat ratio, in my opinion. The only downside is that it is more expensive than most other cuts of pork. It typically sells for around $12 a pound. Here in Vancouver, I’ve only seen it for sale at Chinese grocery stores. I usually make it for special occasions since everyone in my family loves it. I could make 3 or 4 pieces of jowl meat, and there would never be any leftovers! This is how good it is!
Pork jowl meat is the cheek of the pig. It’s sandwiched between fat but the butcher usually trims off most of the fat. Besides using this cut for char siu, it is very popular in Cantonese style hot pots. I also like to blanche it and drizzle a garlic vinaigrette on it or stir-fry with it. Pork cheek and cauliflower stir-fry is another very yummy dish. You really can’t go wrong with pork jowls. Just don’t cook it slow because that will take away the crispiness of the meat.
It might be hard to believe, but with pork jowls, you don’t need to marinate overnight and they cook very quickly. Just 30 minutes of marinating will do. Since the meat is so thin, it only requires a short marinating time. Follow my Pork Jowl Char Siu 貴妃叉燒recipe to make a simple marinade and easy to follow baking times. You too will be making authentic tasting, tender and juicy char siu for friends and family.
At most Cantonese BBQ shops, Pork Jowl Char Siu 貴妃叉燒 costs almost double the regular char siu. But it’s actually so much easier to make. Next time you see jowl meat, give this quick and easy char siu recipe a try!
Prefer to use pork shoulder, butt or belly? Try my Honey Roasted Char Siu 蜜汁叉燒. This recipe also gives you BBQ shop results!
Pork Jowl Char Siu 貴妃叉燒
Ingredients
- 600 g Pork jowl (approx. 3 pieces)
- 20 g Red fermented bean curd , aka nan ru, nam yu (approx. 1 ½ small cubes or ¾ large)
- 1 tbsp Red fermented bean curd brine or red yeast rice sauce aka anka sauce
- 1 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 2 tsp Oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Rose essence wine aka mei kuei lu chiew this will give you authentic Cantonese char siu flavour but you can use any cooking wine
- 2 tsp Hoisin sauce
- 3 tbsp Hoisin sauce for basting
- 3 tbsp Honey for basting
Instructions
- Pat dry jowl meat with paper towels
- Make marinade by combining together 20 g red fermented bean curd, 1 tbsp red yeast rice sauce, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp rose essence wine and 2 tsp hoisin sauce
- Break apart red fermented bean curd and mix everything together. Cover the pork completely with the marinade. Marinate for 30 minutes
- Place the pork onto the baking rack
- Prepare 3 tbsp hoisin sauce and basting brush
- Apply half of hoisin sauce to the top of the pork
- Place into oven, set temperature to low broil (230˚C or 450˚F) and bake on middle rack for 7 minutes
If your pork jowl is quite thin (1 cm or less), reduce the time to 5 minutes - Turn the pork over, baste with the rest of the hoisin sauce and bake for 7 minutes
If your pork jowl is quite thin (1 cm or less), reduce the time to 5 minutes - Prepare 3 tbsp honey
- Turn the pork over, baste with a coat of honey and bake for 2-3 minutes or until the edges are slightly charred
- Turn the pork over, baste with the rest of the honey and bake for the last 2-3 minutes
- Check for doneness
- Remove from oven and let rest for 2 minutes
- Slice and serve
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