Easy Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork) Recipe

Char Siu is a Cantonese barbeque dish known for its sticky, charred surface and juicy interior. It is slow roasted and glazed, and you can make this at home in your oven. Use our recipe for an easy, affordable homestyle version of char siu.

Char siu is one of those dishes that takes a chef years to master, and it typically requires a restaurant kitchen to make. However you don’t need to be a master chef to be able to enjoy the taste of a home cooked char siu. It’s taken us many practice runs to develop our recipe, so you can follow our easy recipe to get the best possible results at home!

Ingredients for char siu

In terms of affordability, this recipe is generally inexpensive. The ingredients we used are ones that are always in our pantry, and we’re hoping that you have them as well. For us, the whole recipe came out to about $10 because all we needed to buy was the pork and garlic. If you do need to go out and buy the other ingredients, rest assured that there are many recipes you can use them for (or you can just make a lot of char siu LOL.)

How to make char siu

Char siu is made through 3 stages – marinate, bake, then broil. With each step, the flavor becomes sealed into the meat and the outer crust develops an incredible texture.

The char siu marinade is a mixture of sauces and spices. It contains sesame oil, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, mirin, white sugar, brown sugar, five spice, salt & pepper, and garlic.

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Mix well. Reserve 1 tbsp of sauce to use for basting later. Combine the rest with the pork in a plastic bag or a bowl. Seal and refrigerate overnight.

Reserve some marinade for basting

The basting liquid is a mixture of the marinade, honey, and water. It’s important that you only use the marinade that has been set aside, because it hasn’t been touched by the raw meat.

Baste every 20 min when you flip and rotate the pork, and make sure to get every nook and cranny. Basting will help you lock in moisture as you bake the pork for a long time. It helps transform the color into a deep, beautiful auburn as well as create a sticky, glazed surface.

We like to do one last baste right after slicing the pork to eat. However, make new sauce because the used basting liquid might have touched raw meat. Simply combine equal parts water, honey, and hoisin sauce. Use a clean spoon or a clean baster to add the final touch to your sliced char siu.

Baking and broiling the char siu

Preheat oven to 450 °F. To prepare the rack, Line a sheet pan with foil, then place a baking rack on top. Pour 1-2 cups of water into the sheet pan. This is important as it prevents drippings from burning and smoking.

Bake for 20 minutes. Keep an eye on the water and keep refilling if it evaporates. Then baste the pork, then flip and rotate. Baste the other side. Return to oven. Repeat.

Next, it’s time to char the surface of the pork and further caramelize the sticky surface. Broil for 5 minutes. Flip and rotate then broil for another 3 minutes.

Remove from the broiler and let it rest for 10 minutes. Slice and baste one last time (using the new basting liquid).

What to eat with char siu

Eat this with white rice and your choice of steamed veggies. We love it with steamed bok choy, broccoli, or spinach. You can also eat it on top of stir fry noodles, or use it as a filling for steamed buns.

3 tips on making char siu at home

1. Keep an eye on the oven to refill water to the sheet pan. This dish tends to smoke and burn because of drippings.
2. Be generous with basting – if you run out of liquid, make a simplified mixture by combining equal parts water, honey, and hoisin sauce.
3. Wait at least 10 minutes before slicing – this helps to lock in the juices. It’s going to smell divine when you take it out of the oven, but remember that patience is a virtue!

Our sake pairing for char siu

In 2021 we’ve partnered with Tippsy Sake to create fun and unique food/sake pairings you can do at home!

Tengumai “50” is a Junmai Daiginjo sake that’s brewed in Mt. Haku, a volcanic mountain in Japan. It’s notably acidic with tasting notes of mint and pear. Served chilled, its tasting notes are prominent and is pleasantly smooth as it warms to room temp. The sake made for a wonderful complement for a fatty and sweet meat dish such as char siu!

Click here to view our post on 11 Fun Sake and Food Pairings.

Use our discount code “FORKNSPOON” for 15% off your Tippsy Sake purchase 🍶

For more info on our partnership, check out this page below!

Final Thoughts

This easy-to-prepare char siu pork will please your taste buds and your wallet. Create this famous Cantonese dish at home, and indulge in its juicy meat and sticky glaze!

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References & Further Reading

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basting_(cooking)#:~:text=Prominently%20used%20in%20grilling%2C%20rotisserie,to%20apply%20or%20enhance%20flavor.

https://zolimacitymag.com/dish-of-the-month-sweet-savoury-world-famous-char-siu/

https://onthegas.org/food/char-siu

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Editor’s note: This post was originally published on September 29, 2020. It has been updated with content and images on May 28, 2021.