Sticky, crimson red Char Siu Pork – just like you get from the Chinese Barbecue meat shops! Also called Chinese BBQ Pork, it’s finger licking good and you’re going to be shocked how easy it is to make the Char Siu sauce that’s used to marinade the pork.
Char Siu Pork – Chinese BBQ Pork
No trip to Chinatown is complete without taking home a container of Chinese BBQ pork. And I am yet to manage the drive all the way home without sneaking in a little taste test (or two…or three).
The darn traffic lights! If they were GREEN all the way home, then I wouldn’t have a chance to do that!
OK, that’s a blatant lie. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and we both know I would be hooning over the Harbour Bridge, holding the steering wheel with one hand and rummaging around in the plastic carry bag with the other, blindly trying to feel my way to the barbecue pork container.😂
An Authentic Char Siu Pork recipe
There are two things in this recipe that I do differently to traditional Char Siu to make this easier but still yield an excellent end result that tastes like store bought:
Cooked in the oven instead of over coals; and
Red food colouring to stain the pork red.
Authentic Char Siu gets the red colour from a speciality ingredient called fermented red bean curds which is red. It’s calls for a trip to the Asian store and you’ll have to hunt deep into the dark corners to find it
While it makes the pork red, the small amount used doesn’t add any flavour. And because I have no other use for red bean curds, I started making it using red food colouring instead and found the end result was exactly the same both in flavour and visual.
So I stuck with it!
What goes in Char Siu Sauce
Here’s what you need for the Char Siu Sauce which is used to marinade the pork – all things you can get from everyday grocery stores:
Pork – the best pork for Char Siu is pork scotch fillet. See next section for more information;
Sugar – brown sugar is best for lovely caramel flavours in the marinade. But even white sugar is fine;
Soy sauces – I like to use light and all purpose soy sauce for the best flavour balance, but you can just use just one of these. Do not use dark soy sauce, it’s way too strong. Read more about different soy sauces here;
Chinese five spice – pre mixed store bought blend, very common these days. Sold in the spice section fo everyday supermarkets and doesn’t cost anymore than other spices;
Hoisin – common Chinese sauce, found in the Asian section. It’s sweet, savoury and has a hint of Five Spice Powder;
Red food colouring – as discussed above, this is used to stain the pork red; and
Honey – this is added to the marinade to turn it into a basting sauce. It makes the pork extra shiny and caramelised which is exactly what we want!
Best pork for Char Siu
I finally managed to get a Chinese barbecue shop to tell me what cut of meat they use. Pork scotch fillet!! Also known as Pork Neck, Pork Collar or Pork Neck Collar, this is an excellent cut of pork which is ideal for both quick cooking (such as pan seared pork chops) and slow cooking (such as this Slow Roasted Brown Sugar Garlic Butter Pork).
Char Siu Pork is also terrific made with pork shoulder – I’d say just as good. Some people like to make it with pork belly but I find it too fatty for my taste.
I used to use pork tenderloin which is much leaner so you do need to be careful about overcooking, whilst still achieving that caramelisation – cook times for this cut are in the recipe notes.
Scotch fillet and shoulder are much easier to cook with – they require longer cook time to make the meat juicy which means incredible caramelisation which is what we WANT!
That sight makes me weak in the knees, every. Single. Time. 😂
How to make Char Siu Pork
Char Siu is simple to make, it just calls for patience to let the pork marinade to infuse with flavour and make the pork stained red! At least 24 hours, but 48 hours is even better.
Be sure to baste generously, slathering / dabbing the marinade on – it’s the key to get a really great sticky surface!
How to serve Chinese BBQ Pork
As for how to serve it, here’s a very typical meal set served at Chinese BBQ shops: slices of pork over rice with a side of steamed greens with sauce (this Steamed Chinese Greens with Oyster Sauce is similar), as pictured above. This is a Chinese BBQ Shop takeout favourite – “BBQ Pork Lunch!”
Dishes made using Chinese BBQ Pork
Char Siu Pork is also used in a handful of Chinese dishes, such as
Chinese Steamed Pork Buns – big fluffy white buns filled with BBQ pork
Fried Rice – Char Siu is often in “special fried rice” in place of Chinese sausage or bacon
In addition, sometimes you see it as a protein option for Chinese Noodle Soup (slices of Char Siu are placed on top) and I’ve also seen it in Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwich) – it’s AMAZING!!
This Char Siu Pork recipe makes quite a lot because the standard size of pork scotch fillet roasts is around 1.2 – 1.5kg/2.4-3lb.
But you’ll thank me. Just one bite, and you’ll be thanking me profusely for making this a big-batch recipe. 😜 – Nagi xx
Watch how to make it
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Char Siu Pork – Chinese BBQ Pork
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar (white also ok)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce , or all purpose soy (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce , just all purpose (or more light soy) (Note 1)
- 1 tsp Chinese five spice powder (Note 2)
- 1 tbsp oil (vegetable or canola) (Note 3)
- 2 tsp red food colouring , optional (Note 4)
Cooking:
- 1.2 – 1.5kg / 2.4 – 3lb pork scotch fillet (aka collar neck, pork neck) OR pork shoulder (Note 5)
- 2 tbsp Extra Honey
Instructions
Marinade pork:
- Cut pork in half to make two long strips. (Note 5)
- Mix Marinade ingredients in a bowl.
- Place the pork and Marinade in a stain proof container or ziplock bag. Marinate 24 to 48 hours in the fridge (3 hours is the bare minimum).
To Roast:
- Preheat oven to 160C/320F.
- Line a tray with foil and place a rack on top (recommended but not critical).
- Remove pork from the marinade, save Marinade. Place pork on rack.
- Roast for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pour reserved marinade in a saucepan. Mix Extra Honey into marinade. Bring to simmer over medium high and cook for 2 minutes until syrupy. Remove from heat.
- Remove pork from oven. Dab marinade all over, then turn. Baste then roast for a further 30 minutes.
- Remove pork from oven. Brush with marinade again, then turn, brush with marinade and roast for a further 20 minutes. If charring too quickly, cover with foil.
- Baste again on surface then bake for a further 10 minutes until caramelised and sticky. Meat should be tender but not falling apart, like with pulled pork. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
- Serve with rice and steamed Chinese greens. See notes for more uses!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published in May 2019. Updated November 2020 with a sparkling new video and brand new photos! No change to recipe – I wouldn’t dare!
Other iconic Chinese recipes
Crispy Chinese Pork Belly – the other Chinese BBQ Meat Shop favourite!
Potstickers – steamed dumplings with crispy golden undersides
Spring Rolls – better than Egg Rolls!
Browse all Chinese Recipes and Asian Takeout copycat recipes
Life of Dozer
This Dozer update was from when I originally published this post in 2018 – when he tore his ACL and had to go in for knee surgery followed by months of recovery – happy to report he recovered 100% perfectly!
Dozer went in for his ACL surgery this morning. He has to stay overnight, so this afternoon I headed over to the vet to drop off his favourite toy and a whole bunch of food for the wonderful team at Mona Vale Veterinary Clinic. #Shameless
And look!!! Not 30 minutes ago, the vet called to assure me he’s doing just fine and sent me this photo. ❤ Post surgery sleepy!
I have wanted to do this recipe for a while but lacked confidence, I don’t know why because the way you explain your recipes is so simple and easy to follow. So I did this recipe and was so happy about the end result have used it in your fried rice and Singapore noodle recipes. Thanks Nagi for keeping me busy in Victoria’s fourth lockdown.
Hello, I currently have the pork marinating in the fridge & realised I don’t have time to cook it before a weekend away (fail)! Can I leave it over the weekend marinating? Or can I put the raw pork in the freezer? Best before on the meat is 26 may 2021. Thanks
Hi Tanya, I would pop it in the freezer to be safe. Then thaw and cook when required 🙂 N x
I can’t get the marinade to go syrupy…. what am I doing wrong?
Tastes amazing tho!
Simmer it for longer on the stove. You’re just reducing the sauce by boiling off some of the liquid, resulting in a thicker sauce.
Ohmygosh so good!! Made it a couple if times now.
Dumb question though. Would it come out as good if cooked in a camp oven?
I thought I had hoisin sauce but turns out it was oyster sauce in my pantry. I have everything else ready to make the marinade. Is there anything I can use in place of hoisin?
Made it 2 weeks ago it turned out really good making it again today
This saved my life, well not really, just that the local supermarket didn’t have any Chinese bbq pork in the deli. I thought I couldn’t make something that I’d always bought from the deli (can u imagine ever making bacon rashers or chorizo?) I needed this for tineats’ Singapore noodles recipe and the Char Siu turned out great. I didn’t use the red food colouring cause I thought it caused something bad in kids and didn’t want them staying up all night with eyes that glow red in the dark ha ha
Could I use pork loin for this?
This was sooooooo good! We gobbled it up and can’t wait to make it again. I wouldn’t change a single thing about this recipe – which is not something I say often. Yum!
The flavour of this is amazing. But I would highly suggest you use Nagi’s recommendation of putting foil in the bottom of your baking tray! Even with lining it with foil I had a dickens of a time cleaning the wrack and tray!
Yes definitely use the foil Whittles!! N x
Hi Nagi, would this recipe work on other types of meat such as beef or chicken? Thanks!
Delicious and tender pork. I had difficulty getting the marinade to thicken to a syrup consistency after the addition of the extra honey.
AMAZING I made this tonight with your fried rice!!!!so easy and delightful to eat…thankyou
Sounds perfect Annmarie, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! N x
I have not yet made this, but I am wondering if brining the pork overnight prior to the marination process will help keep it moist after cooking. Thoughts?
Hi Scott, you could although I’ve never had my pork turn out dry with this recipe – N x
One more question. Please tell me the brand of red bean curd you use as I don’t want to use food coloring. Thanks!
Thanks for the insight. I’ll give it a go without brining and evaluate.
Awesome bbq pork recipe Nagi 🙂 I made a batch tonight for dinner and it turned out great. Thanks for sharing.
OMG.
Made this, marinated for 48 hours, absolutely amazing. Huge thanks.
My husband has been trying to master charsiu and after trying it many times he thinks your recipe is the best!! Thank you so much! It’s traditionally served with a sweet soy sauce to spoon over that we can’t get right. Do you have a recipe for that? Thank you!
I made this recipe but in the slow-cooker instead of roasting it. I let the pork marinate for 2 days and cooked it on low for 8 hours with the marinade and some added water. After it was finished, reduced the sauce as directed and shredded the pork (not traditional, I know, but I was feeling lazy). The flavor is AMAZING!
Cooking this tonight . Just wondering generally if you don’t specify a fan forced oven temp – like with this recipe, does it mean you are using convectional oven ( no fan)?
Hi Kristen, if I don’t specify, then it’s the same for all oven types 🙂 N x
Thank you, Nagi! You saved our Chinese New Year celebrations! Cheers from Victoria