For all those times you’ve gazed longingly at the sticky, crimson red Char Siu hanging from hooks in the window of Chinese barbecue meat shops…… Chinese Barbecue Pork is finger licking’ good and you will be shocked how easy is it to make it at home!
Made with a simple yet flavour loaded Char Siu sauce, pork is marinated to infuse with flavour then roasted until caramelised. Baste your Chinese BBQ Pork frequently for best results!
Char Siu – Chinese BBQ Pork
No trip to Chinatown here in Sydney is complete without taking home a container of Chinese BBQ pork. And I am yet to manage the drive all the way home without sneaking in a little taste test (or two…or three).
The damn traffic lights! If they were GREEN all the way home, then I wouldn’t have a chance to do that!
OK, that’s a blatant lie. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and we both know I would be hooning over the Harbour Bridge, holding the steering wheel with one hand and rummaging around in the plastic carry bag with the other, blindly trying to feel my way to the barbecue pork container.😂
An Authentic Char Siu recipe
I first tried Char Siu Pork at home perhaps 10 years ago and the recipe I use has evolved over the years. Little tweaks to make it as close as I can to my favourite Chinese barbecue shop without having to make a trek to the Asian store to hunt down hard to find ingredients.
I am not exactly sure where I sourced the original recipe from – probably Gourmet Traveller magazine.
The real deal Chinese barbecue pork is cooked over charcoals, with the meat hanging on hooks. But for us ordinary folks, you can still make Chinese barbecue pork at home that tastes just like store bought, it just has less smokey flavour.
Best pork for Char Siu
I finally managed to get a Chinese barbecue shop to tell me what cut of meat they use. Pork scotch fillet!! Also known as Pork Neck, Pork Collar or Pork Neck Collar.
It’s also terrific made with pork shoulder – I’d say just as good. Some people like to make it with pork belly but I find it too fatty for my taste.
I used to use pork tenderloin which is much leaner so you do need to be careful about overcooking, whilst still achieving that caramelisation – cook times for this cut are in the recipe notes.
Scotch fillet and shoulder are much easier to cook with – they require longer cook time to make the meat juicy which means incredible caramelisation.
As in – THIS:
That sight makes me weak in the knees, every time. 😂
How to serve Chinese BBQ Pork
As for how to serve it, here’s a very typical meal set served at Chinese BBQ shops: slices of pork over rice with a side of steamed greens with sauce (this Steamed Chinese Greens with Oyster Sauce is similar).
This recipe makes quite a lot because the standard size of pork scotch fillet roasts is around 1.2 – 1.5kg/2.4-3lb.
But you’ll thank me. Just one bite, and you’ll be thanking me profusely for making this a big-batch recipe. 😜 – Nagi xx
Save some Char Siu for….
- Chinese Steamed Pork Buns – big fluffy white buns filled with BBQ pork
- Singapore Noodles, Chinese Fried Rice
- Fried Rice – Char Siu is often in “special fried rice” in place of Chinese sausage or bacon
- Chinese Noodle Soup – slices of Char Siu is often served on top of noodle soups
Don’t miss these other iconic Chinese recipes!
- Crispy Chinese Pork Belly – the other Chinese BBQ Meat Shop favourite!
- Char Siu Chicken – the chicken version of Char Siu Pork
- Potstickers – steamed dumplings with crispy golden undersides
- Spring Rolls – better than Egg Rolls!
- Fried Rice – Chinese takeout standard (no false promises)
- Browse all Chinese Recipes and Asian Takeout copycat recipes
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Char Siu - Chinese Barbecue Pork
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar (white also ok)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (Note 1)
- 1 tsp 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 (collar neck, pork neck) OR pork shoulder (Note 5)
- 2 tbsp Extra Honey
Instructions
- Mix Marinade ingredients in a bowl.
- Cut pork in half horizontally to make two long, flat, thin pieces (better flavour penetration).
- 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!
Recipe Notes:
Originally published April 2015, updated May 2018. Major change is to change pork cut from tenderloin to scotch fillet/shoulder - this is a recipe improvement.Nutrition
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
LIFE OF DOZER
Dozer went in for his ACL surgery this morning. He has to stay overnight, so this afternoon I headed over to the vet to drop off his favourite toy and a whole bunch of food for the wonderful team at Mona Vale Veterinary Clinic. #Shameless
And look!!! Not 30 minutes ago, the vet called to assure me he’s doing just fine and sent me this photo. ❤
Nagi,
You can forgive/forget my question about substitution! I went with the original 8 ingredients (x2) for my 9 lbs of pork which is safely marinating! Then I watched the video! Can you say DUH. Still, I am looking forward to eating and cooking with it! Thanks!
Hi Suzan, love to know what you thought!
Making marinade right now. I am confused by “Recipe notes #2”. Your original recipe shows 8 possible ingredients; one of which is 1 tsp 5-spice (which I do keep) so my thought is to put it in! #2 refers to the 5-spice as a substitute (which then requires an adjustment to the sugar. Since my sugar is already in the mixture, do I or don’t I add the 5-spice? Guess this first try WILL have it and hope for the best. I so love this pork.
Amazing recipe again! I live in Hong Kong so trust me, I see Char Sui everywhere and we do eat a bit. Never did I think that I could make this by myself. It was so easy and so tasty and felt much healthier that the shops one. Thanks again!
Wow, high praise from the home of Char Siu! So glad you enjoyed this, K-Dish! ☺️– Nxx
I used a pork loin (not tenderloin) accidently. I cut it in half long ways, and marinated for 2 days. I baked at 350* for 30 mins (basting/turning every 10 mins). It was at 147*, but I did a couple mins under the broiler to darken it up. It was not dry or tough, and was a tasty change. The Chinese Five Spice was a bit exotic for my picky teenager to embrace… more for me!
I was introduced to this flavour as a little girl at the Luna Inn Chinese restaurant in Woonona. was our only take away treat mum n dad took us to a few times a year. I became so hooked that I said I would marry a Chinese man lol. Ive used pre made Char Siu sauces but they don’t seem to preliterate the meat so well and just burn.
well Nagi you have made my day with this one, bringing back lots of great memories as a kid. This is the best recipe I’ve ever tried and there will be no need now to go out and get it at the local Chinese. haha.
That’s so nice to hear Kerrie, I’m so happy you loved it!
amazing better than we can anywhere in town
Wahoo what a compliment!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. My husband is a picky pork eater and really enjoyed this. I was lacking hoisin sauce at the time of marinating but had sweet Thai soy sauce which worked just as well. I cooked it in our air fryer and switched the location of the trays so the meat had this crispy outer layer while maintaining a juicy interior! We will be making it again but with hoisin next time. 🙂
Simply amazing! Followed recipe closely and the results were fantastic! Used about 2 lbs of pork shoulder (Boston butt) from the freezer; cut as recommended; marinated for about 48 hours; then roasted in the oven, basting as noted. The professed Chinese food experts in the family were highly impressed – “better than any we’ve had in a Chinese restaurant.” They also took no time to finish the entire roast the same day! Will definitely do again, perhaps with ribs on the side! Thanks!
Woah Brian, that’s great!! You nailed it!
love your blog and your recipes I look forward to trying as many as possible(love to cook) and I especially love Dozer! There is nothing like a Golden thank you for sharing him thank you thank you
I grew up in Singapore and this was one of the “treats” we would look forward to – wrapped up in a parcel hanging from the handlebars cycling home to eat it! -but I have a question – when they put it on the rice they would add a ladle of some sort of gravy/sauce….. I have never been able to recreate this – any suggestions?
Excellent recipe!! Even the “picky eater” liked it. Thank you!!
Great stuff! Thanks for the great feedback!
Made this in my Weber grill, smoked with hickory wood chunks. Used 7 lb pork butt, bone in. Removed bone and trimmed fat of. Sliced in half. Smoked indirect for 3 hrs at 225 to 255 deg F, basting every 30 min. Pulled at 160 deg F and seared over coals for 2 min/side. Turned out fantastic. Great recipe.
That would have tasted AMAZING!
Just made this using boneless pork ribs – and only had regular soy sauce but no light soy sauce. Perfect!! The size and shape of the boneless ribs made them cook evenly and they turned out fantastic!
great recipe
can we use scotch fillet steaks, ie pre cut pork steaks, the steaks are only about 1.5cm thick
It was soooo good. It has made the Christmas Menu List. Have it marinating now. I cook it in my Weber Barbeque.
could i use agave instead of honey in this recipe? Have a 10 month old so if i make it with honey he can’t indulge!
Try maple syrup instead Amanda – I hope you love it!
Could I cook the barbecued pork on a rotisserie in an air fryer oven?
I haven’t tried this Joan but I don’t see why not!
5 Star !! 🙂