Easy Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)

Char Siu recipe sliced on a cutting board.

5 from 6 votes

Easy Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)

A delicious, savory, homemade Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork) recipe that couldn't be easier! We love serving this thinly sliced over rice, noodles, in a sandwich, steamed in bao buns, the options are endless!

Prep Time5

Cook Time45

marinating time12

Total Time12 50

Course: dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings:

Calories: 228kcal

Author: Teri & Jenny

Ingredients

4 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon unseasoned rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese five spice powder
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoons white pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder (pork butt), trimmed and cut along the grain into long strips
1 teaspoon salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Pour honey, soy sauce, hoisin, vinegar, brown sugar, oyster sauce, Chinese five spice, sesame oil, and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper into a saucepan and stir together.
Simmer over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
Set aside 6 tablespoons marinade into a small bowl.
Season pork shoulder strips with salt and remaining white pepper.
Place seasoned pork strips in are-sealable plastic bag, pour remaining cooled marinade over pork, and shake bag around to ensure pork pieces are fully covered.
Remove as much air from bag as possible, seal and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 425˚F. Remove pork strips from refrigerator and marinade and place onto a baking sheet covered in foil, with a wire cooling rack on top (sprayed with cooking spray), spacing pieces about 1 inch apart.
Baste pork with reserved marinade.
Roast pork for 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 375˚F and continue to roast for an additional 25 to 30minutes (or until the internal temperature reaches between 145˚F and 160˚F.), generously basting with marinade every 15 minutes.
1. Once pork has reached its internal temperature, glaze once more and broil on high for 1 to 2 minutes or until pork caramelizes. Remove pork from heat, transfer to cutting board and rest for 3 to 5 minutes.
Slice and serve.

Notes

Tips and Tricks for Success

Don't skimp on the marinating time! The pork needs sufficient time to marinate, to really impart all the delicious flavor associated with char siu pork. We think a minimum of 12 hours is very important to really get the flavor and texture you're looking for, but 24 hours is better if you have the time!
Use a wire rack (inserted into a rimmed baking sheet) while roasting! This ensures even roasting.
Spray your wire rack with cooking spray or generously brush with oil. This will help to prevent the pork strips from sticking to rack (from the sugar).
Line the rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, before inserting the wire rack. This will make the cleanup much easier from the marinade/basting liquid that drips from the pork onto the baking sheet.

How to Get the Subtle Red Color

Traditionally the red color of char siu pork comes from fermented red bean curd. Not only does it impart the red color, but it also adds a really nice salty, umami flavor to the pork! We left it out of our recipe because it's not the easiest ingredient to find, but if you have it on hand or are interested in using it in this recipe here's how:

First, reduce the amout of soy sauce used to 1 tablespoon.
Mash 1 ounce of bean curd and 2 tablespoons of the sauce together into a rough paste.
Stir paste together with the other sauce ingredients and make the recipe as written.

The more modern way to color the pork is to add a few drops of red food coloring into the marinade. We don't love this method, since you're just altering the color, but if you really want the red color without incorporating fermented red bean curd, then this will do it!

Nutrition