Char Siu or Chinese BBQ Pork, is a classic dish known for its tender, juicy pork glazed with a sweet and savory marinade. Its vibrant red color symbolizes good fortune, making it a popular dish during Lunar New Year celebrations.
Char Siu is a iconic Chinese dish that is rich is flavor, tradition, and symbolism. In Chinese culture, red color symbolizes good luck and good fortune for the year ahead. Char siu is often enjoyed in a variety of ways during the new year celebrations. It can be thinly sliced and served with rice and veggies, used as a filling for steamed buns, or simply served alongside other dishes as part of a festive dish.
Want more recipes for Lunar New Year? Check out MONEY BAG DUMPLINGS RECIPE and CHINESE STEAMED FISH RECIPE. Looking for more pork recipes? Check out my TAIWANESE BRAISED PORK RICE.
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What Is Char Siu?
Char Siu, or known as Chinese BBQ Pork, is made by marinating thick pieces of pork - usually pork shoulder or pork butt - in a mixture of sweet and savory ingredients such as garlic, sugar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, honey, white pepper, and five-spice powder. The pork is roasted slowly to create a charred and caramelized exterior with juicy meat inside. Char Siu is a comforting and flavorful dish that reflects the rich traditions of Chinese cooking.
Ingredients
- Pork Butt or Pork Shoulder
- Garlic
- Brown Sugar
- Light Soy Sauce
- Shaoxing Wine
- Hoisin Sauce
- Molasses
- Salt
- White Pepper
- Five Spice Powder
- Red Food Coloring (optional)
- Honey
- Water
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Step 1: Slice the pork into long strips (about 2-3 inches wide)
Step 2: In a small bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients.
Step 3: Place pork and the marinade in a Ziploc bag. Reserve 2 tablespoon of marinade for brushing later. Mix and make sure the meat is completely coated.
Step 4: Seal and let the pork marinate in the fridge overnight. Store the reserved marinade in the fridge as well.
Step 5: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Transfer marinated pork to a roasting rack. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and add a cup of water to prevent burning.
Step 6: Roast for 20 minutes. Flip the pork and baste them with some marinade. Return to the oven and roast for another 20 minutes.
Step 7: For the glaze, add honey and warm water to the reserved marinade.
Step 8: Flip again, and brush the pork with honey glaze. Broil for an additional 7-10 minutes for that charred caramelized finish.
Serve
Thinly slice the pork and serve it immediately over a bowl of rice and a side of vegetables. You can also serve by itself as a main dish.
Recipe Video
Test
Substitutions
- Pork Butt - you can also use pork shoulder or pork neck
- Sugar - Brown sugar is better for caramelizing the pork, but white sugar works too.
- Shaoxing Wine - If you don't have Shaoxing wine, you can use dry sherry or white wine.
- Hoisin Sauce - If you can't find hoisin sauce, you can substitute with more soy sauce and five-spice powder, but note that the flavor profile won't be exactly the same.
- Red Food Coloring - The red food coloring is optional. If you don't want to use it, the pork will still be delicious!
Equipment
Storage
It is best to enjoy Char Siu immediately. However, you can store the leftover pork in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Top Tip
- Avoid lean cuts like pork tenderloin. Using pork with fat cuts is the key to juicy meat.
- Marinate the pork overnight. The longer the pork sits in the marinade, the more flavorful the final result.
- Baste frequently during roasting can help keep the meat moist and achieves that caramelized, glossy top.
Related
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If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below and let me know what you think. Make sure you also tag me @onehappybite on Instagram and hashtag it #onehappybite so I can see your creations!
Recipe
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Easy Chines BBQ Pork (Char Siu) -VIDEO
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Marinating: 12 hrs
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 13 hrs
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
Description
Char Siu or Chinese BBQ Pork, is a classic dish known for its tender, juicy pork glazed with a sweet and savory marinade. Its vibrant red color symbolizes good fortune, making it a popular dish during Lunar New Year celebrations.
Ingredients
3 lb pork butt, pork shoulder, or pork neck*
Marinade
- 5 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 3 tsp molasses
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp Chinese five spice powder
- 10 drops red food coloring
Honey Glaze
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp warm water
Instructions
- Slice pork into long strips (2-3 inch).
- In a small bowl, add garlic, brown sugar, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, hoisin sauce, molasses, salt, white pepper, five-spice powder, and red food coloring. Mix until well combined.
- Transfer the pork and marinade into a large Ziploc bag, make sure the meat is completely coated. Reserve 2 tablespoon of marinade for brushing later. Seal the Ziploc bag and let the pork marinate in the refrigerator overnight. Store the reserved marinade in the fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and fill it with a cup of water to prevent any drippings from burning during roasting process.
- Lay the marinated pork onto a roasting rack. Place the roasting rack over the baking sheet.
- Roast the pork in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
- For the glaze, mix the reserved marinade with honey and warm water.
- Take the pork out of the oven. Flip them over and baste them with some of the marinade. Return to the oven and roast for another 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, take the pork out, flip, and baste them with glaze again. Return to the oven and broil for an additional 7-10 minutes to get that caramelized and glossy top.
- Thinly slice the Char Siu and serve it with steamed rice and vegetables.
Notes
*It is best to use fat cuts like pork butt or pork shoulder so you can get that juicy and tender meat.
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