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!
Made them today and can’t stop eating it, so delicious and got a big kiss from the husband for making it! He is drooling over it as well so many thanks for sharing! 🙂
Awwww, I love that!! Sitting here with a goofy smile on my face at the thought!! 🙂
This looks so good. I have two questions
1) if I choose to use the red dye do I just add it the marinade and
2) I like to use Pearl River Bridge light soy sauce which I find lighter in color with and a bit more saltier than regular soy sauce. Can I use this instead of the regular soy sauce or will the additional salt be too much for this recipe
Thank You
You did it again omg! My husband who knows good food said wow this is really good!!!! Thank u so much! 🙂
YES YES YES!!!! SO GLAD he approved!!! 🙂
Ok so honestly your site is my to go to since I haven’t had the best of luck on any other. I’m marinating 2 lbs of pork tenderlion which I obviously doubled the marinate but what I need help with is what temp 350?and how long? ? 25 minutes help! I want to impress my husband lol
I’m so flattered Salina!! Same temperature, just need to cook for longer. I’d add another 10 to 15 minutes 🙂
Have to admit I was skeptical at first since other Chinese recipes I’ve made never turned out well. Only thing we can master in my house is fried rice. Even though I accidentally over cooked the pork it was still amazing. My husband also loved it. I will be making this again and plan on using the leftovers for fried rice or chow mien.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Maryann! Extra glad it didn’t let you down after your previous bad experiences with Chinese recipes 🙂
OMG! Made this for New Year’s Day dinner…and it was so delicious! Just wish I would have broiled it longer for more char & crispness. Great flavor & extremely tender. Thank u for sharing!! Happy New Year!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Andrea!! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and let me know. 🙂 And HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
What a great recipe! It is so good, all the tips should be followed.
I could never did this right before, now I know how.
Thanks Nagi!
I just made this recipe last night (after marinating the pork loin the day before). I cannot believe how incredibly moist and delicious ti turned out. This recipe is so easy to make and the family loved it. I added sliced serranos, because I love spicy food. Cannot wait to make some yummy bbq pork fried rice with leftovers!
Thank you Holly!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! Oooh, fried rice….SO GOOD!
For those of you who are worried about the bacteria in the marinade from the raw pork, you can heat it up to a simmer for a couple of minutes aka “cook it “before basting the almost finished pork. Works for me 🙂
I followed this recipe EXACTLY, and it turned out DELICIOUS! Thank you! 🙂
HURRAH!!! SO GLAD!!
I made this last night and it was 5* delicious. I tripled marinade since I used over 3 lb pork. (I wanted leftovers to freeze for future. ) I didn’t use food coloring since it’s all about taste. It was a lovely addition to home made ramen I made for dinner….I noticed you posted this recipe on April 10, my birthday. Thanks for delectable birthday recipe…:)
Well, that has to be a sign right? 😉 I’m so glad you enjoyed this and what a classic inclusion for a ramen topping! 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi,
Am really enjoying trying out your recipes.Made the baked sweet and sour chicken yesterday…soooo good !
I have a question…can I make this with pork loin chops?…what I have in my freezer right now..
Hi Gurpreet! Thank you for your lovely message, I am so glad you enjoyed the baked sweet and sour chicken! YES you can make this with pork loin chops! I would suggest making them under the broiler/grill so you get the lovely caramelisation without overcooking them 🙂 Hope you love it!! 🙂 N x
I would like to ask a question, please. The recipe calls for using the same marinade that the raw pork was marinating in. If I put the marinade on the cooked pork without cooking the pork much longer, is that a safety issue?
Thank you,
Jim
Hi Jim! Because the oven is still hot, even just a few minutes of broiling time is enough to kill any bacteria in the thin layer of final basting 🙂 If you are concerned, do your last basting with 10 minutes left of baking time!
While the heat may kill the bacteria, I think the better idea is to make a new mixture for glazing or to boil the marinade on the stovetop.
I personally prefer the former and, in fact, use a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil and honey for basting, which is more viscous than the marinade so it adheres to the pork better.
Nagi, thanks for that! I lived in Toronto few years ago and was kind of addicted to chinese bbq pork. Unfortunately you can not get it anywhere in Germany, where I live now. So I tried your recipe and I totaly love it. Thank you so much ?
YAY!! SO GLAD you loved it!!! N x
AMAZING! So quick and easy to make. Tastes just like any good restaurants. It’s my go to favorite. I even do this with chicken as a stir fry. As the recipe states the longer the meat marinades the better it turns out. Thank you
THANKS BEN! So glad you loved it!! The marinade is pretty close to what you buy in restaurants, isn’t it? So glad you agree!! 🙂
I made this this evening for dinner and it was lovely and tender with a scrumptious flavour. I used sweet soya sauce and did not omit the brown sugar and it was perfect. I made two slight changes: I added fresh minced garlic to the marinade and I simmered the marinade after I put the pork in the oven (at 375) – just felt that brushing on marinade raw pork had been sitting in wasn’t something I was comfortable with. Great recipe that I’ll make again and again. Served it atop home-made fried rice full of diced veggies.
I’m so glad you loved it Michele!! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and let me know. 🙂 It’s great you cooked the marinade to make yourself comfortable. 🙂 Though I can assure you I have done my research properly and basting with the marinade is fine because it’s cooked in the oven. BUT I totally respect that you preferred to simmer it! 🙂 Thank you again for your feedback!
Can I marinate the meat in the Freezer zip lock and freeze it for future use and for how long? Your recommendations very much appreciated. Yummy !!!
Hi Ed! Unfortunately this is not good to freeze pre marinated. The reason is that when it thaws, the marinade becomes watery and it won’t stick to the pork as much. But I definitely keep the cooked meat in the freezer! I use the leftovers for fried rice – so authentically Chinese!
I have tried several other recipes for char siu pork. But… This one is by far the BEST. I let it marinate for 36 hrs and cooked it for about 40 minutes. (It took a little longer to cook). It turned out perfect. Thank you so much for sharing.
Hi Sue! I’m so glad you enjoyed this!! I’m glad you got the cooking time right, it does differ depending on the thickness of the pork, oven strength etc. 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know you enjoyed this!
I have been thinking about doing a version of this for a while and this recipe is definitely the kick up the backside I need to get going… Superb, thank you 🙂
Oooh yes! Hope you give it a go!! The only tip is the basting. Baste baste baste! Especially at the end, slop up all the sticky marinade and dab it thickly on, makes all the difference to get that thick sticky glaze!!! 🙂
We likewise foil wrap the portion of the charcoal grate that’s about the meats part of the bricks.