Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)
Char Siu is a Cantonese style roasted pork dish where the meat is marinated in a sweet and savory sauce and then cooked over high heat. This popular restaurant dish can be served as a main dish or as a protein in many other Chinese dishes.
Ingredients
- 3 lb pork shoulder or pork butt, sliced horizontally into slabs that are about 2 inches thick
marinade
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp maltose , or honey
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ tsp five spice powder
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp water
- red food coloring
Instructions
- Add all marinade ingredients except red food coloring. Mix until evenly combined. Add a few drops of red food coloring and mix. Add until you have your desired amount of redness. Char Siu can range from bright red to dark red, depending on your personal preference.
- Set aside three tbsp of marinade. Rub remaining marinade all over the pork slabs.
- Place pork into a baking dish large enough to hold the pork pieces without them overlapping. Seal surface with plastic wrap. Place pork in fridge to marinate overnight. Place reserved marinade in a small container and also refrigerate.
- On the day of cooking, preheat oven to 475°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Add 2 cups of water to baking sheet. Then place a wire baking rack on top of baking sheet. Place pork slabs on baking rack. Place pork into lower half of oven. Cook for 25 minutes.
- Flip pork over. If your baking sheet is out of water, add more. Cook pork an additional 20 minutes. Take reserved marinade and set aside 1 tbsp. Using the remaining 2 tbsp, baste the exterior of the pork.
- Cook an additional 5-15 minutes or until pork is fully cooked and the exterior is shiny, crispy and slightly charred around the edges. To check pork doneness, use a meat thermometer. You want the internal meat temperature to be about 160°F. 160°F is medium for pork and it will cook slightly more as it rests.
- Let pork rest for ten minutes before slicing and serving. Right before serving, brush the top of the slices with remaining reserved marinade.
Notes
- Slightly Adapted from The Woks of Life
- I like my char siu to be a little thicker, so I try to divide into 2 inch thick slabs. I don't recommend anything thicker than 2 inches. It can be a little under 2 inches as well, around 1 1/2 inch thick. Remember this is thicknes and not width. I did not need to divide the pork butt vertically, but if you don't want your meat slices as wide or you are working with a very large/wide piece of pork shoulder or pork butt, you can make a vertical cut too. Cooking time may need to be reduced if you pork is not as thick or wide.
- Traditionally maltose is used to create the sticky, thick glaze. However since most people don't have maltose stored in their pantry, you can also substitute with honey.
- If you have questions on some of the ingredients listed, check out my Chinese Cooking Ingredients guide.
- Char siu is usually made with pork shoulder or pork butt because it is a fattier cut of pork. If you want something learner, you can use pork tenderloin, however cooking time may need to be reduced. If you prefer something richer, you can also use pork belly.
Serving: 0.08of recipe, Calories: 210kcal, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Sodium: 537mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 7g, NET CARBS: 7
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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