Chinese🥩 Meat

The Best Char Siu Recipe (Chinese Barbecue Pork)

Name: The Best Char Siu Recipe (Chinese Barbecue Pork)
Total time: 25 h
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 63 g (5 tbsp) Sugar; 63 g (3 tbsp) Honey; 50 g (3 tbsp) Light soy sauce; 20 g (about 2 pieces) Red fermented bean curd; 2.9 g (½ tsp) Salt; 9 g (1 tbsp) Grated garlic; 1 g (½ tsp) Five-spice powder; 6 g (1 tbsp) Red yeast powder; 7½ g (1 tbsp) Tapioca starch; 15 g (1 tbsp) Water; 1134 g (2.5 lb) Boneless pork shoulder or pork butt; 42 g (3 tbsp) Chinese cooking wine; 53 g (2.5 tbsp) Honey (for brushing)

⏱ 1500 min

Char siu is a classic Cantonese roasted barbecue pork dish known for its charred exterior, sweet-savory flavor, and succulent meat. The dish requires overnight marination followed by oven roasting the next day, with simple preparation methods that yield restaurant-quality results.

Adapted from a video by Souped Up Recipes

The Best Char Siu Recipe (Chinese Barbeque Pork Char Siew)

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

Sugar63 g (5 tbsp)
Honey63 g (3 tbsp)
Light soy sauce50 g (3 tbsp)
Red fermented bean curd20 g (about 2 pieces)
Salt2.9 g (½ tsp)
Grated garlic9 g (1 tbsp)
Five-spice powder1 g (½ tsp)
Red yeast powder6 g (1 tbsp)
Tapioca starch7½ g (1 tbsp)
Water15 g (1 tbsp)

Steps

▶ Tap a timecode to jump to roughly that moment in the video.

1
Make the char siu sauce by combining sugar, honey, soy sauce, red fermented bean curd, salt, grated garlic, five-spice powder, and red yeast powder in a pot. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring for a few minutes until the sauce bubbles and the sugar and honey begin to caramelize into a syrup-like consistency.
2
Thicken the sauce with tapioca starch mixed with water. Stir the mixture into the hot sauce until it reaches the desired thick, syrupy consistency that will cling to the meat. Let the sauce cool.
3
Prepare the pork by cutting boneless pork shoulder into 1.5-inch-thick slabs. Make a cut through the middle of each slab without cutting all the way through to keep the pieces long when cooked. Poke numerous holes throughout with a fork to help the marinade penetrate evenly.
4
Drizzle Chinese cooking wine over the pork and rub it evenly across the entire surface. Use paper towels to absorb excess moisture on the meat's surface to prevent diluting the sauce.
5
Once the char siu sauce has cooled, coat the pork evenly with it. Cover and refrigerate overnight, optionally stirring midway through marination.
6
The next day, preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the marinated pork on a baking rack to allow proper air circulation, and roast for 20 minutes.
7
Remove the pork from the oven, brush the extra sauce from the bowl onto the surface, flip the meat, and brush the other side. Return to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes.
8
Remove the pork again and brush a thin layer of honey on the surface to give it a shiny, appetizing appearance. Flip the pork to ensure even cooking. Return to the oven and continue cooking for 5 to 10 more minutes until the meat is beautifully charred and caramelized.
9
Remove the char siu from the oven. The meat should be glistening and releasing an enticing aroma. Slice or serve as desired.

The Best Char Siu Recipe (Chinese Barbecue Pork)

Ingredients

Steps

More like this