Char Siu Chinese BBQ Pork (叉燒)

Name: CHAR SIU CHINESE BBQ PORK
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 pack pork loin boneless country style ribs ( (around 2.5 lbs)); 1/2 cup Hoisin sauce; 1/2 cup Soy sauce; 1/4 cup Brown sugar; 1/4 teaspoon Five spices powder; 1/8 teaspoon Garlic powder; 2 tablespoons Water; 1 tablespoon Honey; 1/2 tablespoon Water

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Char siu (叉燒) or Chinese barbecue pork is a famous Cantonese siu mei (燒味), roasted meat, like roast duck, white cut chicken and soy sauce chicken. This authentic Hong Kong style homemade char siu recipe shows you how to make juicy and tender Chinese BBQ pork. Also, this char siu Chinese BBQ recipe is great to go with yu choy sum, ginger scallion sauce and rice. It’s a classic Hong Kong rice box for lunch and dinner.

Love Chinese food? Check out these black sesame soup, wonton noodle soup, steamed pork patty, Chinese rice dumplings and hairy gourd vermicelli recipes.

sliced char siu Chinese bbq pork on the white long plate

What is char siu (叉燒)?

Char siu (叉燒) is a Chinese style barbecue pork and classified as a type of siu mei (燒味) in cantonese means roasted meat. Also, in Chinese literally char siu means "fork roasted". Traditionally, Chinese BBQ pork char siu is skewered with long forks and placed in a covered oven or over a fire.

Homemade char siu Chinese BBQ pork:

Since at home we don't have a commercial oven that can hang the BBQ pork and roast it. This homemade bbq char siu recipe uses an oven to bake it. Therefore, it is important to bake Chinese bbq pork on the rack in order to have juicy and moist char siu.

What is the best cut of pork for char siu BBQ pork?

In fact, it depends on what you want. A leaner or fatty char siu? Most people like to use pork loin, belly, butt or shoulder to make char siu. If you want a fatty one, the best choice is the belly or butt part.

But, if you want some fat and more meat then pick the shoulder part. Personally, I like to use pork loin boneless country style ribs because it is easier to handle and leaner. The best is with some fat because a completely lean pork doesn't taste as good.

What are the ingredients for char siu?

Some people just like to use Lee Kum Kee char siu sauce to marinate pork because it's easier. In this char siu recipe, I like to use simple ingredients to marinate the pork such as hoisin sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, five spice powder, garlic powder and water.

How to make char siu sauce?

Usually, I boil the Chinese BBQ pork marinade sauce and use a skimmer to remove stuff floating on top. Then, use the sauce to serve with bbq pork or dip with ginger scallion sauce.

Cooking tips for how to make char siu:

The best to marinate the pork overnight
Bake Chinese BBQ pork on the rack, so char siu will be tender and moist.
Temperature and baking time are very important for tender and moist bbq pork. Bake at 375 F for 10 minutes for each side. (The cooking time is for boneless country style pork loin because they are already cut and smaller in size. If you use other parts of pork, you may need to cut them into smaller strips or adjust the baking time.)
Brush the baked pork with honey water and broil them 2-3 minutes each side until it's a little brown.
After the pork is done, cover the bbq pork with a foil and wait for 5-10 minutes then slice the pork.

FAQs:

What is the red stuff on Chinese pork?

Some people like to add red food coloring when they marinate the pork, so it's red. Personally, I don't like to add extra food coloring to the meat. Using hoisin sauce and soy sauce already gives good color to the pork.

How do you reheat Chinese BBQ pork?

I usually warm up in a microwave cover with a wet paper towel for a few seconds to a minute.

How long can you refrigerate the BBQ pork?

Average can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. It will last longer if you freeze them.

Instructions for how to make Chinese BBQ pork:

1.Rinse the pork and use a paper towel to dry them.

char siu marinated sauce in the silver bowl

2. In a mixing bowl, put ½ cup of hoisin sauce, ½ cup of soy sauce, ¼ cup of brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon of five spices, ⅛ teaspoon of garlic powder and 2 tablespoons of water and mix it well.

pouring sauce over pork in the glass container

3. Put the pork in a container and pour the marinade sauce over.

4. Let it marinate and refrigerate overnight. (After 6-8 hours, flip the other side if possible.)

5. Preheated oven for 375 F. Then, put foil over a cookie sheet and the rack on top of the cookie sheet. Next, lay the marinated pork on the rack. And, bake the pork for 10 minutes. Then, flip the other side and bake for another 10 minutes. (The cooking time is for boneless country style pork loin because they are already cut and smaller in size. If you use other parts of pork, you may need to cut them into smaller strips or adjust the baking time.)

brushing honey water over the baked pork on the rack

6. In a small container, add honey and water and mix well. After that, brush the baked pork with honey water and broil it 2-3 minutes until it's a little brown. Then, flip the other side, brush honey water and broil for another 2-3 minutes.

homemade baked Chinese bbq pork char siu

7. After the pork is done, cover the pork with a foil and wait for 5-10 minutes. Then, slice the BBQ pork.

Enjoy this authentic homemade char siu Chinese bbq pork recipe! Also, check out these crab stir fry, mapo tofu, tonkatsu, sweet and sour pork, beef with bitter melon and pork jerky recipes.