Growing up in the Catskills, the first time I saw this Chinese BBQ pork, or char siu, was at the Holiday Inn of all places.
My father, the hotel restaurant’s head chef at the time, used a closely guarded recipe of Chinese sauces, lots of garlic, and spices to make his classic char siu.
While we first posted this recipe on The Woks of Life years ago (February 2014 to be exact), we’ve re-tested and made a few tweaks to the recipe that I’m sure he’d approve of! Also scroll down for a new recipe video!
What Is Char Siu?
Char siu (叉烧) is a type of Cantonese roast meat. Char siu (or slightly different spelling, cha siu) is its Cantonese name, but in Mandarin, it is known as cha shao. To make char siu, pork is marinated in a sweet BBQ sauce and then roasted.
Over the years, the flavor of the char siu one could get in noodle shops and roast meat restaurants in Chinatowns around the world developed a signature sweetness. But today, many restaurants skimp on the spices!
A good char siu recipe has depth of flavor––a 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 and blanched choy sum.
While different cuts of pork can be used to make char siu, from lean boneless pork loin to fattier cuts, those fatty cuts like pork shoulder/pork butt really are best suited to making a tasty Chinese BBQ pork char siu.
Other Recipes Using Char Siu (Freeze It For Later!)
Once you master how to make char siu at home, you can enjoy it anytime fresh out of the oven without fighting traffic or crowds in Chinatown.
BUT you can ALSO make many more delicious recipes! You can make a big batch, freeze any unused roast pork, and then take it out to make Pork Buns, Pork Fried Rice, and more.
Here are some more recipes you can try:
- Char Siu Bao (Baked BBQ Pork Buns)
- Char Siu Bao (Steamed)
- Classic Pork Fried Rice
- Stir-fried Pork & Mixed Vegetables
- Chinese BBQ Pork Pineapple Buns
Char Siu Recipe Instructions
Cut the pork into long strips or chunks about 2 to 3 inches thick. Don’t trim any excess fat, as it will render off and add flavor.
Combine the sugar, salt, Chinese five spice powder, white pepper, sesame oil, wine, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, molasses, food coloring (if using), and garlic in a bowl to make the marinade (i.e. the BBQ sauce).
Reserve about 2 tablespoons of marinade and set it aside. Rub the pork with the rest of the marinade in a large bowl or baking dish.
Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours. Cover and store the reserved marinade in the fridge as well.
In my parent’s restaurant, we had a large standing roasting oven the size of a narrow refrigerator, where the pork could hang from these large S-shaped hooks over a pan of water to roast evenly at very high temperatures and get some good color and flavor. To simulate this at home, preheat your oven to ‘bake’ at 475 F (246 C) with a rack positioned in the upper third of the oven. (If you only have a convection oven, keep in mind the oven not only heats more quickly, your char siu will roast faster than what we have described here).
It’s amazing how oven temperatures can vary—from model to model, in different spots in the oven, and in how ovens pre-heat and maintain heat. Using an oven thermometer to double-check the actual oven temperature is a great safeguard to monitor your food (I say double-check because even oven thermostat calibrations vary and can sometimes be incorrect).
Regardless, be sure to check your char siu every 10 minutes, reducing or increasing the temperature as needed.
Line a sheet pan with foil and place a metal rack on top. Using the metal rack keeps the pork off of the pan and allows it to roast more evenly, like it does in commercial ovens described above. Place the pork on the rack, leaving as much space as possible between pieces. Pour 1 ½ cups water into the pan below the rack. This prevents any drippings from burning or smoking.
If you don’t own a sheet pan and roasting rack, check out our Chinese Cooking tools page to find our more about the sheet pan and roasting rack we use in our kitchen.
Transfer the pork to your preheated oven. Roast for 25 minutes, keeping the oven setting at 475 F for the first 10 minutes of roasting, and then reduce your oven temperature to 375 F (190 C).
(Update: previously, we called for a roasting temperature of 475F for the full duration of cooking, which, on some home ovens was too hot. We have adjusted the instructions here.)
After 25 minutes, flip the pork. If the bottom of the pan is dry, add another cup of water. Turn the pan 180 degrees to ensure even roasting. Roast another 15 minutes. Throughout the roasting time, check your char siu often (every 10 minutes) and reduce the oven temperature if it looks like it is burning!
Meanwhile, combine the reserved marinade with the maltose or honey (maltose is very viscous––you can heat it up in the microwave to make it easier to work with) and 1 tablespoon hot water. This will be the sauce you’ll use for basting the pork.
After 40 minutes of total roasting time, baste the pork…
Then flip it, and baste the other side as well. Roast for a final 10 minutes.
By now, the pork has cooked for 50 minutes total. It should be cooked through and caramelized on top. If it’s not caramelized to your liking, you can turn the broiler on for a couple minutes to crisp the outside and add some color/flavor. Be sure not to walk away during this process, since the sweet char siu BBQ sauce can burn if left unattended. You can also use a meat thermometer to check if the internal temperature of the pork has reached 160 F. (Update: USDA recommends that pork should be cooked to 145 F with a 3-minute resting time)
Remove from the oven and baste with the last bit of reserved BBQ sauce. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing and enjoy!
We like to serve our Char Siu with white rice (or brown rice) and greens!
Use Chinese BBQ pork in place of ham in our super easy banquet fried rice recipe, in our Classic Pork Fried Rice, our Chinese BBQ Pork Buns (steamed or baked), or Sarah’s Roast Pork Puffs.
If you want to try this Chinese BBQ pork out on the grill, check out our recipe for BBQ Char Siu on the Grill!
Watch Video!
Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder/pork butt (select a piece with some good fat on it)
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon five spice powder
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 2 teaspoons molasses
- 1/8 teaspoon red food coloring (optional)
- 3 cloves finely minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons maltose or honey
- 1 tablespoon hot water
Instructions
- Cut the pork into long strips or chunks about 2 to 3 inches thick. Don’t trim any excess fat, as it will render off and add flavor.
- Combine the sugar, salt, five spice powder, white pepper, sesame oil, wine, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, molasses, food coloring (if using), and garlic in a bowl to make the marinade (i.e. the BBQ sauce).
- Reserve about 2 tablespoons of marinade and set it aside. Rub the pork with the rest of the marinade in a large bowl or baking dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours. Cover and store the reserved marinade in the fridge as well.
- Preheat your oven to 'bake' at 475 F (246 C) with a rack positioned in the upper third of the oven. (If you only have a convection oven, keep in mind the oven not only heats more quickly, your char siu will roast faster than what we have described here). It's amazing how oven temperatures can vary—from model to model, in different spots in the oven, and in how ovens pre-heat and maintain heat. Using an oven thermometer to double-check the actual oven temperature is a great safeguard to monitor your food (I say double-check because even oven thermostat calibrations vary and can sometimes be incorrect). Regardless, be sure to check your char siu every 10 minutes, reducing or increasing the temperature as needed.
- Line a sheet pan with foil and place a metal rack on top. Using the metal rack keeps the pork off of the pan and allows it to roast more evenly, like it does in commercial ovens described above. Place the pork on the rack, leaving as much space as possible between pieces. Pour 1 ½ cups water into the pan below the rack. This prevents any drippings from burning or smoking.
- Transfer the pork to your preheated oven. Roast for 25 minutes, keeping the oven setting at 475 F for the first 10 minutes of roasting, and then reduce your oven temperature to 375 F (190 C). After 25 minutes, flip the pork. If the bottom of the pan is dry, add another cup of water. Turn the pan 180 degrees to ensure even roasting. Roast another 15 minutes. Throughout the roasting time, check your char siu often (every 10 minutes) and reduce the oven temperature if it looks like it is burning!
- Meanwhile, combine the reserved marinade with the maltose or honey (maltose is very viscous––you can heat it up in the microwave to make it easier to work with) and 1 tablespoon hot water. This will be the sauce you’ll use for basting the pork.
- After 40 minutes of total roasting time, baste the pork, flip it, and baste the other side as well. Roast for a final 10 minutes.
- By now, the pork has cooked for 50 minutes total. It should be cooked through and caramelized on top. If it’s not caramelized to your liking, you can turn the broiler on for a couple minutes to crisp the outside and add some color/flavor. Be sure not to walk away during this process, since the sweet char siu BBQ sauce can burn if left unattended. You can also use a meat thermometer to check if the internal temperature of the pork has reached 160 degrees F. (Update: USDA recommends that pork should be cooked to 145 degrees F with a 3 minute resting time)
- Remove from the oven and baste with the last bit of reserved BBQ sauce. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing, and enjoy!
So excited to try this recipe! Question: I have some boned pork chops that I’m trying to use up. Is it possible to do this recipe with a cut still on the bone? (I’m intending to use this for your pork fried rice recipe, if it makes any difference.)
Hi Katie, you can use bone – cuts but for pork chops, you will likely have to reduce the roasting time because even though the bone takes longer to cook, pork chops are generally quite thin. I would really recommend sticking with pork shoulder or butt for the best results. Try this recipe to use those pork chops: https://thewoksoflife.com/asian-seared-pork-chops/
Hello! I am planning on making this for the BBQ pork buns recipe (which I’m planning to double). Will the 3lbs of meat make enough for the 4 cups of chopped Char Sui that the other recipe calls for? Sorry if it seems like a silly question, I just want to be sure I’ll have enough!
Hi Allie, you never have enough char siu! But 3lbs of meat will make more than enough for 4 cups of chopped char siu. Happy cooking!
I’ve been wanting to make this from your recipe for a while now but was afraid I might fail and waste a perfectly good pork butt. I finally got up the guts and it’s in the marinade now. I’ll have it with rice and spinach greens tomorrow. For the next day I have all the ingredients to make your egg rolls. These are wonderful recipes for me because everything freezes well. So many Chinese recipes call for cornstarch and cannot be frozen. Since I only cook for myself it’s important for me to have something tasty in the freezer for when I don’t want to bother with cooking. I have one question. You say to bake to an internal temp of 165 and the FDA says 140. At what temperature does the pork come out tasting better? I bought a very fatty pork butt so I’m thinking 165.
You know that you don’t have to use corn starch, right? Use rice flour or tapioca flour and you can freeze without separation. And I am the only one here as well (except for the cats), so I hear you on freezing.
On the temp… since it is in strips (not the whole butt) I would go for 150F, it keeps cooking when it is resting.
Thank you Brigette. especially for the tip on rice alternatives to corn starch.
Hi Liz, definitely inspect and pull out a piece and try it. Cooking fattier pieces at a lower temp may result in chewier char siu, but you don’t want it to dry out either. It comes down to the cut of meat and how you like it.
Cook time is way too long dried out meat …. Who are you guys pitiful
I would direct you back to the top of the article, specifically the 3rd paragraph. Sounds like you didn’t carefully watch your roast.
Hi Susan, not sure if you are using a convection oven or how thick you cut the pieces (we advise 2 to 3 inches thick) which shortens the cooking time. Either way, you should be checking on the progress often (visually and with a meat thermometer) which is what we advise whenever roasting any meats.
Incredible recipe!! I can finally make all the char siu I want – from home, AND with fresh ingredients instead of pre made sauce! Of course, I use the premade sauce sometimes, too. The cooking instructions are excellent and it turns out well every time!
Hi Wjl, right on! Kepp up the great cooking!
I’ve made this recipe a couple times but after I bake it, it is a big dry and the flavor is not quite there or as red as your photos. I have even increased the red food coloring. What am I missing?
Hi Confused, you make be using a leaner cut of pork. Try using a fattier cut of pork and let it marinate the recommended time or even longer. Are you also using water at the bottom of your pan? It prevents the grease on the pan from smoking but also provides moisture in the oven so your pork doesn’t dry out. Also, baste often ;-)
Should the char sui go into the oven jn ‘bake’ or ‘roast’ setting?
Hi Jen, use Roast, if you have that setting either way the pork will cook nicely in bake or roast mode.
To freeze the left overs, should I slice the pieces first, or leave the pork strips whole? Thank you!
Hi Lindsay, freeze them whole so they don’t dry out in the freezer and slice them after the entire piece has been defrosted and reheated.
Does the water go directly below the pork, in the same roasting pan? Or in a separate baking pan on the oven rack below the roasting pan with the pork? Thank you.
Water should be in a pan BELOW the pork, pork should be cooked hanging or on a wire rack.
Hi WSD, directly below the pork so the grease drips into the water which prevents burning in the pan while keeping the pork moist.
Hi I was just wondering if you needed to add molasses for the marinade? Or could we substitute that with honey? Thank you!
Hi Dominique, molasses adds a richer flavor. Honey adds a little more sweetness. You could use honey as a substitute or the same amount of dark brown sugar and water to make it thick like molasses.