Char Siu Pork - Chinese BBQ Pork

Name: Char Siu Pork - Chinese BBQ Pork
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 2 d 1 h 35 min
Yield: 6 -8 people
Ingredients: 1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar; 1/4 cup honey; 1/4 cup hoisin sauce; 2 tbsp light soy sauce; 1 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tsp Chinese five spice powder; 1 tbsp oil; 2 tsp red food colouring; 1.2 - 1.5kg / 2.4 - 3lb pork scotch fillet (aka collar neck, pork neck) OR pork shoulder; 2 tbsp Extra honey

User Reviews

5.0

921 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 5 mins
Marinating
2 d
Total Time
2 d 1 hr 35 mins
Servings
6 -8 people
Calories
438 kcal
Cuisine
Chinese

Char Siu Pork - Chinese BBQ Pork

Paige Becker

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Recipe video above. Your favourite Chinese barbecue pork made at home! Slow cooked so it's juicy on the inside with the most incredible sticky glaze, this is finger licking' good! Chicken version here.

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Ingredients

Servings

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

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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!

Notes

Soy Sauce - The light soy sauce adds a touch more salt to the marinade, the balance I like. But it's fine to use all light soy sauce, or all ordinary soy sauce. Do not use dark soy sauce (flavour is too intense). More on different soy sauces here, and when you can substitute, when you can't.
Chinese five spice powder (a mix of spices) - find it in the herb and spice section of supermarkets and it isn't any more expensive than other spices, very common nowadays. You can substitute the Chinese five spice powder with 1 tbsp extra hoisin sauce BUT you should reduce the sugar to 1 tsp, otherwise it will be too sweet.
Oil - Or other neutral flavoured oil.
Red food colouring - to make the pork red, like you get at the Chinese barbecue shop. This is optional. Authentic Char Siu uses red bean curd for colouring and a touch of flavour - it can be found at Asian stores, use about 2 tbsp of the liquid and no red food colouring.
I use the marinade in this recipe more frequently than the authentic version because I can get all the ingredients at the supermarket and it has a slightly more intense flavour - makes up for absence of charcoal in this home version.
Pork - I used to make this with pork tenderloin (Note 6) but I've moved to scotch fillet roast (pictured in post) and pork shoulder because they are ideal for longer cooking to get amazing caramelisation and the pork is incredibly juicy inside. Scotch fillet is also known as Pork Neck, Pork Collar or Pork Neck Collar. This is what Chinese BBQ shops in Australia use.
Pork shoulder is also ideal - beautifully juicy. If using pork shoulder, using boneless, skinless and trim off most of the thick layer of fat on the surface. Then cut into long thin pieces, like pictured in post with the scotch fillet. The meat will buckle and twist more when cooked because the meat is more sinewy. Flavour is excellent!
Some people also make this using pork belly but I find that too oily for my taste for this particular recipe.
Cutting pork - doesn't really matter which way you cut it, horizontal or straight down the middle (see in post for photos). If you have a thick piece of pork, cut in half horizontally to make two long, flat, thin pieces. If it's not that thick, just cut it straight down the middle
doesn't really matter which way you cut it, horizontal or straight down the middle (see in post for photos). If you have a thick piece of pork, cut in half horizontally to make two long, flat, thin pieces. If it's not that thick, just cut it straight down the middle
PORK TENDERLOIN cooking directions (photo here of how it looks): Roast at 180C/350F for 25 minutes or until the internal temperature is 145 - 160F/ 65 - 70C. Around halfway through roasting, baste generously with the reserved Marinade. Sort of dab it on so you get as much Marinade on the pork as possible - this is key for getting the thick, glossy glaze. Then flick to broiler/grill on high and broil for a few minutes until surface is charred and glossy, basting once or twice.
Leftovers – I continue to eat it for days, but also freeze excess. Char Siu is also used in Singapore Noodles, Chinese Fried Rice (also see Egg Fried Rice) and is also terrific served on Chinese Noodle Soup.
Nutrition per serving assuming 6 servings. This is overstated because it doesn't take into account the fat that is rendered out when cooking.

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Calories 438cal (22%) Carbohydrates 20g (7%) Protein 48g (96%) Fat 17g (26%) Saturated Fat 5g (25%) Cholesterol 150mg (50%) Sodium 852mg (36%) Potassium 897mg (26%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 18g (36%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 45mg (5%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6-8 people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 438 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories	438cal	22%
Carbohydrates	20g	7%
Protein	48g	96%
Fat	17g	26%
Saturated Fat	5g	25%
Cholesterol	150mg	50%
Sodium	852mg	36%
Potassium	897mg	19%
Fiber	1g	4%
Sugar	18g	36%
Vitamin C	1mg	1%
Calcium	45mg	5%
Iron	4mg	22%