Char siu (叉烧), or Chinese barbecue pork, is a type of Cantonese roast meat. Char siu is its Cantonese name, while in Mandarin it is known as cha shao. The literal translation is "fork roast" referring to the traditional method of cooking this dish: seasoning pork strips and roasting them over a fire or in a covered oven. Some consider this recipe "Chinese restaurant-style pork."
My husband is a passionate carnivore and enjoys cooking pork, so this char siu recipe is more his than mine (note that while char siu is traditionally grilled, this is a recipe for the oven). He loves the marinade and the juicy, tender pork. According to him, while you could use different cuts of pork to make char siu, it’s ideal to use boneless pork shoulder.
This pork recipe isn’t difficult to make but it does require time and patience; a slower, longer cook time makes the meat juicy, which results in fantastic caramelization. Perfect! Thebarbecue porkis marinated and brushed with a Chinese barbecue sauce, then roasted until a deep, restaurant-quality flavor is reached. My husband recommends serving char siu with rice or noodles.
Note: Traditional char siu gets its authentic red color from an ingredient called fermented red bean curds, which can be hard to find. If the color is important to you, you can use red food coloring. I personally don’t ever add any; it doesn’t impact the flavor, so I’m not worried about it. You could serve it for dinner with this homemade char siu sauce.
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Cuisine: Chinese
Prep Time: 10 minutes plus 1 to 2 days to marinate
Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours
Total Time: 1 1/2 hours plus marinating time
Serves 6
Ingredients
Pork
- 1 pork shoulder (2 to 3 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons honey
Marinade
Helpful Products
Recipe Notes
- If you have leftovers, use the pork shoulder in pork fried rice or add it to stir fry.
Here's how to make it:
- Combine all the marinade ingredients in a plastic zipper food storage bag or shallow bowl. Add the pork and marinate 24 to 48 hours, or 3 hours minimum.
- Remove the pork from the marinade and put onto a foil-lined baking sheet. (Save the marinade!) Roast in a preheated 325-degree F oven for about 30 minutes.
- While the pork cooks, pour the reserved marinade into a saucepan. Add the 2 tablespoons of honey. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook until it reaches a syrup consistency, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Remove the pork from the oven and brush it on both sideswith the marinade. Cook another 30 minutes. Remove the pork again and brush it all over with the marinade. Continue to cook about 20 minutes. (If the pork is getting to dark, cover it with foil.) Brush the pork one more time and cook for about 10 more minutes or until caramelized and sticky. (Meat should be fork-tender.) Allow the pork to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Drizzle with any remaining marinade.
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FAQs
Sticky, crimson red Char Siu Pork – just like you get from the Chinese Barbecue meat shops! Also called Chinese BBQ Pork, it's finger licking good and you're going to be shocked how easy it is to make the Char Siu sauce that's used to marinade the pork.
What is the best cut of meat for char siu? ›
What are the best cuts of pork for char siu? My dad uses pork butt, also known as "Boston butt” or "pork shoulder,” and this seems to be among the most popular cuts for char siu. It's ideal to use more fatty cuts, so some other options would be the pork neck end or pork belly.
What is char siu sauce made of? ›
Still, there's a fairly common base set of ingredients including hoisin, honey, soy sauce, sherry, and Chinese five spice powder that imparts the ubiquitous flavor and glossy sheen to Char Siu.
What does Siu mean in Chinese food? ›
Cantonese cuisine
Char siu literally means "fork roasted" (siu being burn/roast and cha being fork, both noun and verb) after the traditional cooking method for the dish: long strips of seasoned boneless pork are skewered with long forks and placed in a covered oven or over a fire.
Is char siu pork served hot or cold? ›
Char Siu pork is a versatile base product. It's used in other dishes, e.g. finely diced in fried rice, as filling in Char Siu Bao 叉燒包 (white steamed rolls), stir-fries, and also served plain, warm or cold, cut into thin slices alongside some vegetables on rice.
What is the difference between pork and char siu? ›
Pork is literally just “the meat of a pig” in the most general sense. Char siu is the anglicized rendering of the name of a Cantonese style of roasted pork (usually belly, back, loin, or neck), flavored with Chinese 5 spice and glazed with honey and red rice yeast that produces a rich, red color.
What do Chinese use to make meat tender? ›
While there are several ways to velvet, a pound of meat needs about two teaspoons of cornstarch and two teaspoons of oil, says Leung. You may also include two to three tablespoons of water. For beef, add a 1/4-teaspoon of baking soda for tenderizing. Additional seasonings are optional and vary from recipe to recipe.
What does char siu mean in english? ›
char siu (uncountable) A style of preparation of barbecued pork in Cantonese cuisine, typically using honey and spices. [ from 20th c.]
What is the most popular meat in Chinese food? ›
Pork dominates the meat menu in China. The 57 million tons of pork consumed in China in 2021 accounted for 60 percent of total meat consumption.
What is a substitute for hoisin sauce in char siu? ›
If you're looking to get that sticky, crisp, shiny glaze on the surface of a Chinese roast, or don't have quite as much hoisin sauce as your char siu recipe calls for, substituting in a little BBQ sauce with Asian seasoning is a good option.
No they are not the same. Hoisin sauce is made from fermented soybeans mixed with garlic, chilli, sesame, Chinese spices and vinegar. Char siu sauce is a condiment made from hoisin sauce, sugar, Chinese five spice powder, Chinese cooking wine, soy sauce, garlic and often also food colouring.
What is the red stuff on Chinese pork? ›
The red hue on the pork comes from the sticky, crave-able barbecue sauce in which it's marinaded before roasting. Often, this deep crimson hue comes from a combination of Hoisin sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, and fermented red bean curd (aka fermented tofu, bean cheese, or tofu cheese).
Is char siu Japanese or Chinese? ›
One of the most famous Chinese meat preparations, char siu is Cantonese barbecue pork. Naturally, that makes it especially popular in the Cantonese parts of southern China, as well as popular in local adaptations throughout much of Southeast Asia.
What to serve char siu pork with? ›
This Char Siu Pork recipe from 2014 Masterchef winner Ping Coombes is a Chinatown favourite. Traditionally, this dish would be served up sliced over rice with a side of steamed greens, but you can also serve with noodles or in steamed buns.
What is the difference between Chinese and Japanese char siu? ›
Chinese Cha siu is cooked in an oven, but Japanese style is cooked in liquid. Maybe, this is because ovens aren't traditional kitchen equipment in japan. Maybe there is a different name of this dish in China, but this is what we call Chashu in Japan like you see it on Ramen shops.
What cut of pork is BBQ pork? ›
Pork butt is an ideal choice for barbecue pulled pork, but it also lends itself to braising and stewing, which tenderizes the meat and melts the fat. Use pork butt in any recipe where you're looking for fall-apart-tender meat and a rich, porky flavor, such as pulled pork, carnitas or stew.
What pork is used for BBQ? ›
Pork - Pork Butt (aka Boston Butt) or pork shoulder are the best for this recipe. They are nicely marbled with fat and need to be slow cooked in order to become tender enough to shred with little effort. Get bone in (pork butt almost always is, shoulder is sometimes not).
Why is pulled pork called BBQ? ›
Barbecue has always been pulled pork. The word barbecue comes from the Spanish word barbacoa. A barbacoa was a frame made from wood used to smoke meat.
What cut is pork BBQ? ›
Commonly referred to as the Butt, the shoulder is the perfect cut for low and slow BBQ. Slow smoke to an internal temperature of 204° F for perfect pulled pork.
