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!
Hi, Nagi,
Not doing much cooking right now, but one of my favorite pastimes is reading about cooking! You mention at the top that since this isn’t cooked over charcoal there is less smoky flavor. Have you ever tried using Liquid Smoke? Not sure if it’s sold there, but if it is . . I find it works really well to bring the outdoors into the oven since I gave up trying to do ribs on the grill and am concentrating on perfecting them in the oven. I dilute it a bit then brush onto the meat, then let it stand to absorb for about 15 minutes before adding whatever seasoning I’m using.
I love char siu, even in the kinda dryish version the Chinese takeaway I frequent makes. Once I get back to real cooking, this is definitely going to be way high up on my ‘A’ list!
Regards,
Lynne
Hi Nagi
I have to say again , this is soooo good, left over I made your fry rice recipe, perfect recipe
Thank you again
That’s great Ai Tang! So pleased you enjoyed this, thanks for letting me know! N x
Hi NAGI
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, as usual yr method were always work and perfectly made me and my family happy
😘 N xx
Love and hugs for Dozer. Get well quick. We miss you.
Hugs gratefully received by fur ball!!! Thank you Colleen! 🙂 N xx
I think I will have to settle for tenderloin but will ask my butcher for other suggestions. I know brining helps keep leaner cuts of meat moist but wonder how to balance the saltiness of the final dish. Trial and error, I guess.
Hi Vivian! What about shoulder? 🙂 Shoulder is brilliant with this too! N xx
Speedy recovery Dozer! We love you too!
Best wishes! xxx
Thanks Sheri! He’s all good, home now! 🙂 N x
I can’t figure out the difference between light soy and dark soy, is the light the less sodium one???
Hi Doris! Actually, dark soy has more sodium but it tastes less salty because the soy flavour is stronger. So light soy sauce has less salt in the ingredients BUT it tastes saltier because the soy flavour is less!
Love this so much. Chinese BBQ pork is one of those highly addictive things, I don’t blame you for picking at it while you drive home. I’d likely do the same. Who are we kidding, I WOULD do the same.
This just sounds so amazing, I’m wishing I had this to eat now. Last time I made BBQ pork like this, I set off the fire alarm in the building though….so perhaps I’ll be throwing it on the grill outside next time. Def trying your recipe!
Glad to hear Dozer is recovering well 🙂
Don’t worry, this isn’t a smoker!!!
Am so happy Dozer’s out of surgery and recovering well! Thank you for the updates Nagi, as well as the cute photo. I’m rooting for our furry guy to continue getting better every day, and hit his fave beach again soon.
Thanks so much for the lovely message!!! He is home now and snoozing comfortably at my feet 🙂 N xx
Great recipe Nagi , as always!!! I also cannot eat pork so adapted the recipe for chicken -Fingerlickin good! ( shortened the cooking time
All our love to our gorgeous Dozer. How is he going to hate recuperation and no bouncing or bounding with all his Beach Buddies
Gosh yes! I will add the link for the chicken version – thanks for the reminder! PS Yup, he’s suffering already…. yanking on the lead busting to chase after birds when I take him out to the toilet!!
omg I so love reading about Dozer at the end of your recipe, stay safe young man, we all love you
😘 He’s all good! He’s home and snoozing at my feet! N xx
Hi Nagi
Loving your recipes…they are my ‘go to’ when planning meals.
Just one question….sadly, I can’t eat pork (not sure why, it seems to be an allergic reaction, but that’s life, I guess!)
When travelling, I have learnt to say ‘no pork’ in lots of languages 🙂
Can I replace the pork with another meat as I love the idea of the char siu sauce in this recipe.
Hugs to Dozer
Heather
Hi Heather! I forgot to add a link to the chicken version, I’ve now added it at the top of the recipe section. It’s SO GOOD! PS Hug happily received by crippled fur ball 🙂 N x
So happy to read that Dozer is doing well! This picture is all heart! Good luck for a speedy and smooth recovery.
Love the pork recipe!
Thank you Chef Shal!!! N xx
Thank you for that precious photo of Dozer: not that he would like his burly beachboy self be displayed ;like that 🙂 ! God bless to both of you . . . yes, love the char siu too . . . 🙂 !!!
Thanks for the lovely message Eha! He is all good now, home safe and sound and snoozing loudly at my feet!
I’m so glad Dozer is all repaired and will be fighting fit in no time at all. It will be hard to keep him quiet while he heals.
I love char siu pork!
How’s Charlie??
Charlie got his stitches out yesterday. He looks funny with all the shaved spots but he can have a bath tomorrow and get groomed (evened out) next week. Yay!
Hope Dozer is recovering well!
I’m so glad to hear he’s ok! YAY!!
Hey Nagi! Love your recipes, and Dozer too – hope he gets well soon. This Chinese BBQ Pork looks so good! I wondered if there was an error in the cooking time? Looks like the cooking time when using the tenderloin rather than the scotch fillet 🙂
Hi Josie! Thanks for picking that up – forgot to update the total cook time at the top of the recipe when I changed the recipe to use pork scotch fillet instead of tenderloin 😎
No problem 🙂 sorry, I should have mentioned that it was just at the top of the recipe, not in the body of the recipe itself!
I love char sui, I have a heap sliced up in the freezer from when I last made it.
I hope Dozer continues to do well. I bet the vets and nurses would have loved you! Trust me, as a vet nurse, when you never get a lunch break, or even time to finish a coffee, treats from clients are so appreciated. <3
Wish you were closer so I could deliver treats to YOU TOO!!! The team at Mona Vale Vet is amazing. Dozer is so spoilt!
Glad you made it home ok, and that Dozer appears to be doing well. I was going over your Chat Situ recipe just around dinner time. Yum!
Hope you try it Jonathan! And yep, Dozer is doing great, thanks for asking! He’s home now, snoozing loudly at my feet 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi !
Can you tell me what the scotch filet cut would be in the US? Please…..
Hi Cathy! I have a note about this 🙂 It’s called collar neck over there, but otherwise, use shoulder! It’s just as good! N x
Hi Nagi – welcome home!
I love Char Sui and will try this today.
just a couple of quick questions:\ re the 2 different soy sauces in the recipe
2 tbsp light soy sauce (Note 1) – is kikoman salt reduced ok?
1 tbsp soy sauce (Note 1) – what is the difference between this and the light soy sauce?
also, 30 minutes cooking time looks awfully short, is that correct?
Hi Sybille! Kikkoman is perfect, salt reduced is fine 🙂 The light soy sauce has a lighter soy flavour than Kikkoman which is an all purpose soy sauce. So its fine to use all light or all normal soy sauce! Forgot to update the summary cook time at the top when I changed the pork cut, now done! N xx