Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)

I love nouns that are also verbs, words like cheer, smile, mug, and potentially my favorite – fork. In Cantonese, char siu literally means “fork roast,” in reference to the traditional cooking method for this tangy-sweet BBQ pork which involves piercing strips of pork with a fork and roasting until they’re tender and caramelized. This Chinese restaurant classic is usually seasoned with sugary, no-no ingredients like hoisin sauce, honey, brown sugar, and soy sauce. My marinade uses substitut