Ingredients
- 1.2 kg pork shoulder or boneless pork belly
- 120 ml Québec maple syrup
- 60 ml hoisin sauce
- 60 ml soy sauce
- 30 ml Shaoxing wine
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp five-spice powder
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Method
- Whisk the maple syrup, hoisin, soy sauce, wine, garlic, five-spice, pepper, and sesame oil.
- Marinate the pork for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Heat the oven to 175°C, place the pork on a rack over a lined pan, and roast for 90 minutes, turning twice.
- Brush with the marinade and roast 20–30 minutes more, basting every 8 minutes until lacquered and cooked through.
- Rest 10 minutes before slicing.
Conversion and rationale
Original sweetener (classic version): 100 g maltose or honey, often with 50 g white sugar
Conversion used: Use 120 ml maple syrup in place of 100 g maltose or honey plus sugar; reduce the soy sauce by 15 ml to balance the added liquid. Roast at 15°C below the common 190°C setting and reserve raw marinade only before boiling it.
Why Quebec maple syrup: Maple supplies the glossy caramel character expected from char siu while adding a mild Québec wood note to the five-spice seasoning. It works naturally with soy, hoisin, and pork.
General rule: 1 cup (250 ml) sugar ≈ 3/4 cup (180 ml) maple syrup; reduce liquids by 45–60 ml per cup of syrup and lower oven by 15 °C. Substitution calculator →