Pork Char Siu
If you love a juicy, sweet & sticky barbecue, give this easy Chinese barbecue recipe a try! Delicious char siu is you can easily make at home! Packed with delicious flavors that will make you and your family enjoy dinner even more!
Char siu is a popular way to flavor and prepare barbecued pork in Cantonese cuisine. Char siu literally means “fork roasted” is the traditional cooking method for the dish. Originally, strips of boneless pork are skewered with long forks and then placed in a covered oven or over a fire. I decided on making my own char siu at home since my family loves it so much. Especially after making Kikiam Char Siu, it has been a regular request from my daughter!
The flavor of the char siu is one that you could get in noodle shops and roast meat restaurants in Chinatowns around the world with a signature sweetness. But nowadays many restaurants include this on their menu! A good char siu recipe has a depth of flavor–– salty/sweet contrast with a hint of spice that compliments the pork and allows it to stand alone with just a simple mound of steamed rice. We can make this over the grill or in the oven. Both turn out fantastic, but I found that char siu cooked a lot faster in on the grill than in the oven. So depending on the season, you can try both that better suits you.
The secret ingredient is always LOVE
Tips for Pork Char Siu
- I usually will use honey but you can also use cooking molasses.
- The cut of pork you will make the char siu with will be a personal preference. I prefer a more fatty and juicy barbecue so I went with a pork belly.
Pork Char Siu
Ingredients
Ingredients for Marinate
- 4 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 4 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 4 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp Chinese five spices
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
For the Meat
- 500 grams pork belly
For Glaze
- leftover marinate
Instructions
Marinating the pork
- Add all ingredients for the marinate sauce in a bowl and mix well.
- Rub the pork belly with the sauce and soak in the marinate for 1 hour or overnight in the fridge for better results.
Preparing the glaze
- Remove the meat from the marinade and let it sit for an hour in room temperature.
- Transfer the marinade to a small pot. Cook it on low heat on a stove for 5 minutes or when the sauce starts to boil and thickens.
- Set it aside for later use at the end of grilling.
Cooking the Char Siu in an Oven
- Place the meat on the tray or roasting rack. Preheat the oven to 374°F (190°C).
- Once the oven is heated, cook the pork for 20 minutes. Flip the pork and cook for another 20 minutes.
- Flip and glaze the meat every 3-5 minutes until all the glaze is brushed on. Don’t worry if there are charred sections!
- Once the meat is done (when it reaches an internal temperature of 145F (62C)), let it rest for 10 minutes, cut it up and enjoy! Bon Appetit!
Cooking the Char Siu on a Barbecue Grill
- Startup the grill and cook the char siu for 15 mins on one side, then flip it for another 10 mins.
- Glazed 4-5 times, flipping the meat every minute to prevent burning
- When the meat looks red, sticky and slightly burnt, remove it from the BBQ and let it rest for 10 mins. Cut it up and enjoy! Bon Appetit!
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