• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Fork Bite

  • Recipes
  • Contact
  • Privacy & Disclosure
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • 15 Minutes Meal
  • Recipes
  • Contact
  • Privacy|Disclosure
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • 15 Minutes Meal
  • Recipes
  • Contact
  • Privacy|Disclosure
×

Home » Recipe » Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)

Jun 18, 2018 · Last Updated: May 10, 2020 by Calleigh ~

Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)

Jump to Recipe

Sticky, tender Char Siu Pork Belly is surprisingly easy to make. This dish is generally known for its flavor and a popular way to prepare barbecued pork in Cantonese cooking.

Sticky, tender Char Siu Pork Belly is surprisingly easy to make. Char Siu Pork is one of the most popular dishes in Chinese restaurants

Jump to:
  • Best Part of pork to use
  • Extra tip
  • How to store
  • Ingredients
  • Step by step instructions
  • Notes
  • Recipe

How many of you out there who love Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)? When you walk around China town, you definitely have seen it and you walked past thru this window full of savory meats like chicken, duck and this Char Siu.

It literally means pork roast and that’s how people used to cook it and it has so many applications, you can put it in fried rice, noodles and a lot more.

This is a very distinctive food item, it has a red color and when you bite into it, that’s where the magic happens. It’s a little charred and if cooked right, it should never be dried, you might think that it’s complicated to cook but I’m here to tell you that it’s not actually.

Sticky, tender Char Siu Pork Belly is surprisingly easy to make. Char Siu Pork is one of the most popular dishes in Chinese restaurants

Best Part of pork to use

The pork that you need to cook is very important, so what I can recommend is the pork shoulder because it contains a lot of connective tissues that becomes tender and melted fats after cooking. Perfect for braising or stewing and is good for slicing and serving. I bought mine from Costco which is already cut into strips and ready for marinating.

Extra tip

You’ll need an oven tray lined with foil and rack so that the Pork Cha Siu isn’t touching of the tray otherwise, it’s gonna get burned in one side and you don’t want that. It all depends on the thickness of your pork, so adjusting the cooking time is important.

Sticky, tender Char Siu Pork Belly is surprisingly easy to make. Char Siu Pork is one of the most popular dishes in Chinese restaurants

How to store

For Leftovers – I tried to freeze the leftovers for future use (you can freeze it for up to 2 months, just wrap it with baking paper and cling wrap).

Char Siu is also used in Singapore Noodles, Chinese Fried Rice or Egg Fried Rice and is also perfectly served on Miso Ramen Noodle Soup.

Ingredients

  • 3.5 lb pork shoulder

Marinade Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup hoisin sauce
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup Chinese Shaoxing wine (*see notes)
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 3 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp Chinese 5-spice powder(*see notes)
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
  • 2 tsp red food coloring (*see notes #3)

Step by step instructions

for marinade:

① Slice the pork neck lengthways to form 3 long pieces.
Mix the marinade ingredients into a bowl and combine well.

② Place the pork in a ziplock bag and pour the marinade. Seal and shake well until the pork is evenly coated. Set aside to marinate in the fridge overnight. (3 hours is the bare minimum).

To roast:

③ ​Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F. Prepare the tray and line it with foil and place a rack on top.

④ Arrange the Char Siu pork and pour water into the bottom of the roasting tray making sure the water level isn’t touching the pork. Adding the water will help prevent the marinade from burning on the tray.

⑤ Cook the pork for about 25-30 minutes. While waiting, you can now pour the marinade in a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat. Bring to a boil and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly. Turn off the heat and use the sauce for basting.

⑥ Remove pork from the oven and baste both sides with the thickened sauce. Put them back into the oven and cook for another 20 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.

⑦ Remove from the oven and baste another layer of sauce and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Notes

1 For Leftovers: Wrap Char Siu pork in a baking paper and cling film and freeze for up to 2 months.

2 Shaoxing wine is known as Chinese rice wine or cooking wine made from fermented rice. You can find this in the Asian aisle of many supermarkets or from any Asian grocer. Or you can substitute it with dry sherry.

3 The red food coloring is to make the Char Siu red same as what you get in any Chinese BBQ shop (this is optional). But the authentic recipe for Char Siu uses fermented red bean curd for color and flavor enhancer for marinades and stew (this can be found in the Asian grocer).

However, you can use Beetroot powder which is a natural alternative to the red food coloring typically used to make this dish. You can buy it in health food stores or the health food section of the supermarket or you can make it at home.

4 You can get Chinese five spice powder (a mix of spices) in the herb and spice section of any Asian supermarkets.

Recipe

Sticky, tender Char Siu Pork Belly is surprisingly easy to make. Char Siu Pork is one of the most popular dishes in Chinese restaurants.

Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)

4.20 from 5 votes
Sticky, tender Char Siu Pork Belly is surprisingly easy to make. Char Siu Pork is one of the most popular dishes in Chinese restaurants.
Servings: 10
Cook Time 3 hours 50 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 55 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 3.5 lb pork shoulder

Marinade Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup hoisin sauce
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup Chinese Shaoxing wine*
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 3 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp Chinese 5-spice powder*
  • 3 garlic cloves finely grated
  • 2 tsp red food coloring *

Instructions:

Marinate:

  • Slice the pork neck lengthways to form 3 long pieces.
  • Mix the marinade ingredients into a bowl and combine well.
  • Place the pork in a ziplock bag and pour the marinade. Seal and shake well until the pork is evenly coated. Set aside to marinate in the fridge overnight. (3 hours is the bare minimum).

To Roast:

  • ​Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F.
  • Prepare the tray and line it with foil and place a rack on top. Arrange the Char Siu pork and pour water into the bottom of the roasting tray making sure the water level isn't touching the pork. Adding the water will help prevent the marinade from burning on the tray. Cook the pork for about 25-30 minutes.
  • While waiting, you can now pour the marinade in a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat. Bring to a boil and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly. Turn off the heat and use the sauce for basting.
  • Remove pork from the oven and baste both sides with the thickened sauce. Put them back into the oven and cook for another 20 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Remove from the oven and baste another layer of sauce and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Notes

1.) For Leftovers: Wrap Char Siu pork in a baking paper and cling film and freeze for up to 2 months.
2.) You can find Chinese Shaoxing wine in the Asian aisle of many supermarkets or from any Asian grocer. Or you can substitute it with dry sherry.
3.) The red food coloring is to make the Char Siu red same as what you get in any Chinese BBQ shop (this is optional). But the authentic recipe for Char Siu uses red bean curd for color and flavor (this can be found at the Asian grocer). However, you can use Beetroot powder which is a natural alternative to the red food coloring typically used to make this dish. You can buy it in health food stores or the health food section of the supermarket.
4.) You can get Chinese five spice powder (a mix of spices) in the herb and spice section of supermarkets.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 438.79kcal | Carbohydrates: 14.45g | Protein: 28.01g | Fat: 28.8g | Saturated Fat: 9.95g | Sodium: 460.06mg | Fiber: 0.26g | Sugar: 12.3g

Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.

Did you make this?I would love seeing what you've made! Tag me on Instagram @theforkbitedotcom or leave me a comment or rating below.
Course: dinner, entree
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese
Keywords: authentic char siu recipe, bbq pork chinese food, char siu in chinese, char siu instant pot, oven char siu

More Easy Recipes

  • Hawaiian Pickled Onions: A Complete Step by Step Guide
  • Mi Xao Gion Recipe: Crave-Worthy Cuisine
  • Loaded Seafood Baked Potato: Step-by-Step Guide
  • Popeyes Sweet Heat Sauce: A Step-by-Step Guide

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cora Dupras says

    June 30, 2018 at 11:06 pm

    This looks so yum and tempting, I want to try this later. Thank you for sharing.

  2. Karen L says

    June 29, 2018 at 11:32 am

    I made this last week and it was a huge hit with my family!! Im not a big fan of 5 spice so I left it out but it still came out great. Thank you for the recipe

  3. Virginia Rodriguez says

    June 28, 2018 at 10:05 am

    This is the easiest Char Siu recipe I’ve ever read and I love the fact that you can use “beetroot powder” as an alternative to food coloring.

  4. Dana M says

    June 22, 2018 at 8:51 am

    This is genius.. I followed your instructions and it came out so delish. Now, I have leftovers perfect for my ramen noodles. Yes!!

  5. Julia Johnston says

    June 19, 2018 at 7:18 pm

    I really want to try this dish as this looks so tempting. Will try to check the beetroot powder instead of using food coloring.

  6. Chelsea Fowler says

    June 18, 2018 at 5:16 pm

    This looks yummy, I cant wait to try this. I guess, will try to use the fermented tofu as I found it in our local Asian market. Thank you for sharing.

Trackbacks

  1. Pork Adobo Instant Pot – The Fork Bite says:
    11/25/2019 at 10:29 am

    […] Char Siu (Chinese Barbeque Pork […]

  2. Chow Mei Fun - Singapore Mei Fun | The Fork Bite says:
    03/04/2019 at 12:04 pm

    […] the toppings, you can add your favorite meat, shrimp, eggs or Chinese dried sausage. I love to add vegetables as well, like snow peas, carrots […]

  3. The Ultimate Guide to char siu recipe from scratch – The brilliant blog 3473 says:
    06/22/2018 at 11:39 pm

    […] will more than likely be red from a little food color, utilized to attract clients. A small amount char siu pork recipe oven of color isn’t damaging (think about all those M&M s and Skittles you have actually […]

  4. 10 Situations When You’ll Need to Know About char siu recipe oven – The unique blog 7001 says:
    06/22/2018 at 8:16 pm

    […] flavorless char siu. It’s like eating cardboard that a person’s poured syrup and also Continue reading food coloring on. […]

Primary Sidebar

abt me 150x150 Hi there, my name is Calleigh. Glad you’re here, you will find recipes that are easy to make and taste fantastic. You’ll also find some of my personal favorite foods, ones I’ve eaten in restaurants. Thank you for stopping by.

Copyright © 2023 · The Fork Bite

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT