Smoked Char Siu Pork Tenderloin

Smoked Char Siu Pork Tenderloin

Smoked Char Siu Pork Tenderloin

I recently bought some nice pork tenderloins from my friends at Wildfork Foods and wanted to turn one of them into char siu. Then I thought, why not smoke it?! It usually my answer to all of life’s problems. Smoke it.
Smoking pork tenderloin is a lot different then smoking other cuts of pork. Because the are very lean and not large, there is the risk of them being over cooked. The key is to preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Get your wood chips smoking for 10 minutes. Throw in your pork tenderloin and drop the heat to 185 degrees. This will allow a longer smoking time to absorb smoke without drying out. After the first hour, turn the heat back up to 250 degrees. Apply a layer of glaze every 15 minutes for the next 30 minutes. A 24oz pork tenderloin will take 90 minutes in total. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Marinating Time3 days
Course: ingredient, Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: Chinese, East Asian, electric smoker, ingredient, main course, Pork
Author: Alex Gorgos

Equipment

  • Electric Smoker

Ingredients

  • 1 large pork tenderloin
  • 1 1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 2 red bean curd cubes plus 1 tbsp of juice
  • 1 1/2 tbsp honey
  • 3/4 tsp 5 spice powder
  • 1 1/2 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 3/4 tsp sesame oil

Glaze

  • 1 1/2 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp marinade liquid

Wood Chips

  • 1/2 hickory
  • 1/2 cherry wood

Instructions

  • Mix the marinade ingredients together.
    Chinese, main course, appetizer, pork
  • Marinate the pork tenderloin in a storage bag for 3 days.
    Chinese, main course, pork
  • Let the pork tenderloin rest on a rack overnight before smoking. Save the marinade.
    Chinese, main course, pork
  • Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Add in your wood chips. Let smoke for 10 minutes. Throw in your pork tenderloin. Decrease the temp to 185 degrees. Smoke for 1 hour.
    Chinese, main course, pork
  • While the tenderloin is smoking, heat up the honey and reserved marinade in a small saucepan until the honey has dissolved.
    Chinese, main course, appetizer, pork
  • Brush the tenderloin with the glaze. Increase the temp to 250. Smoke for 15 minutes. Apply another layer of glaze and smoke for 15 more minutes.
    Chinese, main course, pork
  • Let the tenderloin rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
    Chinese, main course, pork
Chinese, main course, pork
Perfectly smoked without being over cooked.