We have ordered delivery a grand total of just two times, which I’m pretty surprised about because normally I LOVE delivery. I’m not quite sure why it hasn’t really been on our radar considering everyone’s been ordering in like crazy. Well, actually, I guess it kind of goes both ways: there’s the homesteader camp (hello sourdough bakers) and the I don’t wanna cook camp (the ones who know the pain of having their orders cancelled after 30 minutes of waiting). Right now we’re somewhere in the middle I guess. To be honest, we like making restaurant style food at home so we’re not missing too much. Then again, ask me how I feel in another couple of weeks.
Anyway, this is a quick and easy Chinese BBQ pork slash char siu recipe. It’s essentially the same as this one here, minus the red fermented tofu because we don’t actually have any in the fridge. It lacks that hint of distinctive depth of flavor but it’s still really darn tasty! I mean, sticky sweet and savory roasted pork?! Especially with rice? It’s comfort food to the max!
What is char siu/Chinese BBQ pork?
Char siu literally translates to fork roasted and that’s exactly what char siu is, normally: fork roasted pork. Pork – usually pork butt/shoulder – is marinated in a sweet and savory BBQ sauce and then roasted. It’s sweet and salty and has just some nice complexity thanks to five spice. It’s juicy and sticky and just about perfect on a bowl of fluffy white rice.
What ingredients do I need?
You do need a couple of Chinese sauces, namely hoisin and soy sauce. They sell hoisin online and at most grocery stores in the Asian aisle, so you’re pretty much good to go. Other than that you need honey, garlic, ginger, five spice (you can skip this if you don’t want to buy it), and a pork butt/shoulder.
Why should I make char siu?
Char siu is a low effort high reward SUPER delicious juicy roasted pork that you will love. It has a sticky sweet glaze that is so good that you’ll want to eat it on everything. Plus, if you’re missing Chinese take out, this is the dish for you.
What can I serve it with?
You can have it with fluffy white rice, in buns, with noodles, in fried rice, basically anything.
Easy Chinese BBQ Pork aka Char Siu
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp hoisin
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp Shaoxing wine optional
- 2 cloves garlic lightly smashed
- 1 inch ginger sliced
- 1/2 tsp five spice optional
- 1/4 tsp white pepper optional
- 2 tbsp honey for glaze
- 1 lb pork butt/shoulder cut into strips
Instructions
- Mix the marinade ingredients throughly. Coat the pork with the sauce and marinate for minimum 1 hour and up to 24.
- When ready to cook, heat the oven to 300°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with tinfoil. Remove the pork from the marinade, shaking off excess. Lay the pork on a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, flipping halfway through.
- While the pork is cooking, heat up the remaining marinade (remove the ginger and garlic) with the last 2 tablespoons of honey. Bring to a simmer over medium heat until it reduces and thickens slightly. It should coat the back of a spoon.
- Brush the pork with the glaze and turn the heat up to 400°F, brushing with glaze and flipping, until slightly charred. Let rest slightly, slice and enjoy!
This looks great, can’t wait to try! Just to clarify, the ingredients list suggests the pork should be pre-cut into strips, but in the photos it looks like the shoulder goes into the over whole and is cut after?
hi amy,
i just made one giant piece but normally I cut it into 3 inch x 2 inch strips :)
Could it work with pork tenderloin? I know it’s got much less fat and is much smaller, so maybe just reduce the cooking time? Thanks.
hi evan,
you can use pork tenderloin but you’d definitely have to decrease the cooking time and keep an eye on it as pork tenderloin has a tendency to dry out. start checking at the 30 minute mark!
yes I am missing it, and not because of shut down but just because the traditional Chinese restaurants in my area are now something else, so this will definitely help and am surprised that the ingredient list isn’t that long, thank you!
Wow this is just awesome. Definitely the BBQ fix I’m looking for. Nicely done! :)
THIS LOOKS AMAZING!! Great quarantine project