Homemade Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)
Char Siu or Chinese BBQ Pork is one of the best Cantonese-style bbq meats, and one I love to make at home! After multiple rounds of testing, I finally perfected the best, most accessible version of this recipe. In this blog post, get all the tips and tricks you'll need including how to make the pork red, how to prevent the meat from becoming too dry, and how to maximize the flavor.
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 50 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 3 lbs pork shoulder
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 tsp five spice powder
- 1 tbsp salt
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp hoison sauce
- 3 tbsp honey
- 2 drops red food coloring
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- ¼ cup water (for baking)
- 3 tbsp honey
- 3 tsp water
- 1 drop red food coloring
Instructions
- 1
First, cut 3 pounds of pork shoulder into 1 inch thick pieces. Score with a fork to help the marinade penetrate the meat. (Poke shallow holes in the meat.) Place the pork shoulder in a large Ziploc bag.
- 2
Combine ¼ cup of light brown sugar, 1 tsp of five spice powder, 1 tbsp of salt, ½ tsp of sesame oil, 1 tbsp of Shaoxing wine, 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tbsp of hoison sauce, 3 tbsp of honey, 2 drops of red food coloring, and 3 cloves of minced garlic in a bowl. Mix together. Pour the marinade into the Ziploc bag.
- 3
Close the bag and marinate for 6 hours or overnight in the fridge. I recommend overnight for the best flavor. Make sure the pork shoulder is coated with the marinade.
- 4
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (218 degrees C).
- 5
Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and then top with a baking rack.
- 6
Place the pork on top of the baking rack. (Reserve the marinade for later.) Pour ¼ cup of water onto the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.
- 7
Brush both sides of the pork with the reserved marinade and bake for another 15 minutes.
- 8
Brush again with the reserved marinade and bake for 10 minutes.
- 9
Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees F (232 degrees C). Mix together 3 tbsp of honey, 3 tsp of water, and 1 drop of red food coloring. Brush both sides of the pork with the honey water mixture.
- 10
Bake for 5 minutes.
- 11
Take the pork out and brush with the honey water mixture one last time. Cool for 5 minutes before cutting into the pork. The pork is done once the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).