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!
OMG, to die for! I’ve only used the pork tenderloin (easiest to find), and the last time I made it I had to beat my eldest son away from it or there wouldn’t have been any left!! Just got back from the supermarket with more pork tenderloin……guess what I’m making. Thanks for the amazing recipe Nagi. xx
I made this last night with extras for tonight! My husband and I thought it was fantastic! We wondered if it would cook in a smoker. Any thoughts?
Yes yes yes! I’ve only ever done it in the smoker, and it’s flipping amazing!
Wow! I’ve tried several Char Siu recipes, that were……ok. But I decided to give it one more try, and it was a no brainer to try yours. AMAZING! Tender, moist, flavorful, in a word delicious! Thank you!
Wahoo, I’m so glad you loved it Gillie! N x
Another recipe with flavors spot on! My husband actually bought red bean curd so I added this in. So easy to put together and marinated for the full 48 hours. Used pork tenderloin – cook time was way longer than suggested time. We ate the pork with Chinese greens and my husband’s homemade shrimp dumpling soup. Perfection!!
Wanted to be sure I added a five star rating 🙂
Very good! I tie my tenderloin with butcher string and hang it from a top rack in the oven using pieces of a wire coat hanger. I also add a drip pan under it and incorporate the drippings into the sauce.
Love this Richard!!! N x
By far the most straight forward ingredients list I have used for this and by far turned out the best! I was really happy with this as this is my favourite food! I totally caked on the honey towards the end and used the grill setting on the oven to get the charring. Thank you!!!
I make your recipes all the time and they are so reliable, so I know it’s user error that must have caused my struggle with this one. My pork was chewy and strangely off putting, and carried an odd porky stench through the house? I couldn’t eat it and am not sure where I went wrong. The cut of meat I got was considerably larger than the recipe calls for, could that be my problem? Any suggestions welcome, I really want to get this right!
Thanks all!
Are your oven temps for fan oven?
Hi Nagi. Tried this recipe (one of your many so far!) tonight – yum! I wonder whether the time should be reduced if the pork was cut horizontally – like a piece of steak as that was how the pork scotch fillet was sold
If using a pork shoulder how long do you roast it for?
Hi Nagi,
I can’t get 5 SPICE where I live can you tell me how to make my own.
P. S.
Your recipes are awesome
Hi Sharon, there’s a sub in the notes or you can make it, here’s a good recipe: https://thewoksoflife.com/how-to-make-five-spice-powder/ N x
Tried this with a 750g piece of pork shoulder. I should have done 2 or 3 pieces. It disappeared so quickly. Awesome!
ALWAYS make a big batch! 😂 I know this problem all too well! N x
Hi Nagi, I have made this pork several times during pandemic. It is so good. I am a take out Chinese food addict so I was really feeling deprived until I tried this. I have not been able to get pork collar, but it works very well with pork shoulder and pork butte. Your site has provided so many unique and delicious recipes for me. I love hearing about Dozer too. Thank you.
Can I use “red bean paste” for the colouring?
Hi Rick! Nope unfortunately not, it won’t stain it 🙂 You need either red food colouring or fermented red bean CURD which is different 🙂
Thanks Nagi!
I’m making this today! It’s marinating now. I must confess: I added two teaspoons of Okazu Chili Miso, just for a hit of spice, and it’s intensely red from the chili. I’ll let you know what effect it had! I love the Okazu, so I think it will be fine. Thank you so much for the recipe! Seasons Greetings!
Can I sub maple syrup or sugar in place of honey? I am allergic. Thank you!
Hi Ken, Maple or golden syrup will work find in this recipe too. N x
Thank you so much!! And by the way, we’re getting festive in our house with something resembling 7 days of Nagi — I can’t tell you how obsessed we are with so many of your recipes. Discovering RecipeTin Eats has been the highlight of 2020, and I can’t overstate how much more bearable Melbourne lockdown was thanks to cooking your delicious food. Thank you so much and happy holidays to you and yours xxx
Hi Nagi,
I discovered your blog no long ago and I am hooked. I have done twice in a month Char Siu. Additionally we have enjoyed Lasagna, Chicken satay curry, Butter chicken and the flat bread..
thanks for you great recipes.. Enjoy the summer!!
Hi Nagy, would you tell me how to make this recipe over coal on a barbecue? Thanks!
I would mostly try the whole pork neck, for a longer, slower cooking.
Thanks for sharing!
This was truly amazing. Hardest bit was waiting for it to marinade! Ate it in one session and there’s only two of us 🙈