My ultimate comfort food is a bowl of fluffy rice, doused in sweet soy sauce with glistening glossy slices of Chinese bbq pork aka char siu.
It’s one of our go-to dinners for Mike and I because it’s just so darn easy. We usually just head to our favorite Chinese BBQ place and buy a pound of char siu along with some roast duck.
Sometimes though, ok, actually quite often, we’re living in a place without a great Chinese BBQ master, and then you need to take matters into your own hands. Luckily, unless you’re trying to make a whole crispy roast pork or a brace of ducks, a home oven is all you need to make some great Chinese BBQ.
This is a quick and easy char siu aka Chinese BBQ pork recipe. It’s essentially the same as this one hereminus the red fermented tofu because we don’t actually have any in the fridge. It lacks that hint of distinctive depth of flavor but it’s still really darn tasty!
What is Chinese BBQ pork?
Char siu literally translates to fork roasted and that’s exactly what char siu is, normally: fork roasted pork. Pork – usually pork butt/shoulder – is marinated in a sweet and savory BBQ sauce and then roasted. It’s sweet and salty and has just some nice complexity thanks to five spice. It’s juicy and sticky and just about perfect on a bowl of white rice.
How to make char siu at home
- Cut your pork. You want to cut the pork into long strips at least 3 inches wide.
- Marinate. Mix up honey, hoisin, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, garlic, ginger, five spice, and white pepper and rub it all over the pork and let it marinate overnight (or at least for an hour) in the fridge.
- Roast. Let the pork get all juicy and cooked through on a wire rack in a low oven.
- Make a glaze. Make a quick glaze by bringing the excess marinade and a bit of honey to a boil.
- Brush. Generously coat the pork with the glaze and give it a blast of heat to char it. Slice and enjoy!
What kind of pork for char siu?
You can use pretty much any piece of pork for char siu, from pork loin to pork butt. In fact, when you go to a real Chinese BBQ place, they often ask you, “fei ding sau” (胖或瘦) which translates to fat or skinny. Truthfully they usually only use pork butt at Chinese BBQ places, but even then, there will be leaner and fattier parts on a pork butt. If you want:
- a more luscious, rich char siu – use pork butt
- tender, lower calorie, leaner char siu – use pork tenderloin
- a leaner, cheaper char siu – use pork loin
- the best char siu you’ve ever eaten – use pork collar aka pork neck. It’s not a common cut, but essentially it’s the shoulder that runs from the neck to the tip of the loin.
What ingredients do I need?
You do need a couple of Chinese sauces, namely hoisin and soy sauce. They sell hoisin online and at most grocery stores in the Asian aisle, so you’re pretty much good to go. Other than that you need honey, garlic, ginger, five spice, and a pork butt/shoulder.
Char siu ingredients
- Hoisin sauce – They pretty much sell hoisin everywhere now, from Target to your basic grocery store. It’s a thick, sweet brown sauce that’s used in marinades and as a dipping sauce. Hoisin is super flavorful: sweet and savory, tangy, and full of umami. It’s essential for Chinese bbq dishes.
- Shaoxing wine – This is the secret ingredient that all your Chinese food needs to taste like restaurant style Chinese food. Shaoxing wine is rice wine and while it’s optional for this recipe, it’ll be 10 thousand times better if you get it. They sell it online and in Asian grocery stores.
- Five spice – So many char siu recipes out there are just glazed pork. But if you want a savory char siu, don’t forget the five spice. It’s added flavor.
- White pepper – If you don’t have white pepper, don’t sweat it, but if you do, use it here. It’s more fragrant, delicate, and floral. It adds pepperiness without overwhelming.
How do you pronounce char siu?
It’s cha as rhymes with “rah rah rah” and siu as in rhymes with “few.”
Why should I make this?
Char siu is a low effort high reward SUPER delicious juicy roasted pork that you will love. It has a sticky sweet glaze that is so good that you’ll want to eat it on everything. Plus, if you’re missing Chinese take out, this is the dish for you.
What can I serve it with?
You can have it with fluffy white rice, in bunswith noodlesin fried ricebasically anything.
xoxo
Steph
Easy Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp I would
- 1 tbsp I am willow
- 2 tsp Shaoxing wine optional
- 2 cloves garlic lightly smashed
- 1 inch ginger sliced
- 1/2 tsp five spice optional
- 1/4 tsp white pepper optional
- 2 tbsp honey for glaze
- 1 lb pork butt/shoulder cut into strips
Instructions
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Mix the marinade ingredients throughly. Coat the pork with the sauce and marinate for minimum 1 hour and up to 24.
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When ready to cook, heat the oven to 300°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with tinfoil. Remove the pork from the marinade, shaking off excess. Lay the pork on a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, flipping halfway through.
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While the pork is cooking, heat up the remaining marinade (remove the ginger and garlic) with the last 2 tablespoons of honey. Bring to a simmer over medium heat until it reduces and thickens slightly. It should coat the back of a spoon.
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Brush the pork with the glaze and turn the heat up to 400°F, brushing with glaze and flipping, until slightly charred. Let rest slightly, slice and enjoy!
Estimated Nutrition
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 226
