Over the last little while I have been craving some char siu bao or Chinese bbq pork buns and it was finally time to satisfy that craving. Of course the first step to making the char siu bao was to make the cha siu or Chinese bbq pork. Char siew is actually pretty easy to make, you simply marinate the meat in a sauce that is flavoured primarily with hoisin sauce and a hint of five spice. After marinating you roast the pork and then broil it for a few minutes to get a slightly charred and crispy outside. Given that you are roasting the pork in the oven I recommend using a fattier cut of pork like the butt or the shoulder. A pork tenderloin is wasted for this and it can end up being a little on the dry side. Once the pork has finished roasting it is served sliced thinly. Char siu is commonly a bright red colour and you can feel free to add some red food colouring to the marinade if you like. I served my char siu on rice along with some steamed bok choy in an oyster sauce with fried shallots .
Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)
ingredients
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons xiao hsing wine
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice
- 1 teaspoon garlic (grated, optional)
- 1 teaspoon ginger (grated, optional)
- 1 (2 pound) pork butt or shoulder (cut into long slices about 1 inch thick)
directions
- Mix all of the ingredients, brush half of the mixture over the pork and let marinate, in the fridge, for a few hours to over night.
- Roast in a preheated 350F/180C oven for 30 minutes.
- Flip, marinate and roast for another 30 minutes.
- Turn on the broiler and broil for 5 minutes on each side.
- Let rest for 10 minutes, slice thinly and serve with remaining sauce.
theurbanwifey says
November 23, 2010 at 1:48 amThanks for this recipe. I made chinese BBQ pork one time before and for the life of me could never find the recipe again. I will definately be making this again.
Anonymous says
November 23, 2010 at 1:57 amMmm this looks soooo good. I'm getting better and better at shopping in our local Asian market so perhaps it won't take me too long to find all these ingredients!
Belinda @zomppa says
November 23, 2010 at 1:58 amOh. Nice. I've never tried making it myself before!
Julie says
November 23, 2010 at 2:00 amLooks so fabulous and flavorful…and I love that it's easy as a bonus!
Esi says
November 23, 2010 at 2:16 amI've had homemade char siu on my to-make list for a while. This version sounds great!
Anonymous says
November 23, 2010 at 2:51 amI think you were Chinese in your last life!
Winnie
Ali @ Gimme Some Oven says
November 23, 2010 at 3:49 amOh my goodness — I've wanted to learn how to make this for YEARS!!! Literally – my family had Chinese food every Saturday for lunch growing up, and for 15 years, I always ordered BBQ pork fried rice. (Apparently I didn't branch out much!) But have never tried making it myself.
Definitely bookmarking this one. Thanks, Kevin!
the blissful baker says
November 23, 2010 at 5:42 amthis looks really flavorful and delicious! i've never char siu before, but it looks simple enought to make!
Rosetta says
November 23, 2010 at 6:55 amComplimenti, bella ricetta.
Ciao
Rosa's Yummy Yums says
November 23, 2010 at 7:21 amMmmhhh, that is such a delicious speciality!
Cheers,
Rosa
Distilled says
November 23, 2010 at 11:16 amThis sounds awesome. I imagine I'll have trouble getting xiao hsing wine – can you recommend an alternative?
Joanne says
November 23, 2010 at 11:18 amI looovee bbq pork buns but have never tried to make them myself! This pork sounds like it's perfectly flavored!
Nisrine, Dinners and Dreams says
November 23, 2010 at 2:30 pmIt looks totally delicious.I'm in the mood for Asian flavors lately. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
COSMIC ARCATA says
November 23, 2010 at 3:41 pmThis looks really delicious and I will have to try it. But I want to say that I don't think the red color comes from food coloring. I think it come from red yeast rice. It is a culture that is grown on the rice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_yeast_rice
Kelly says
November 23, 2010 at 5:49 pmMmmm. I love Char Siu atop a nice noodle soup or rice dish. Bookmarking this!
Jan says
November 23, 2010 at 5:55 pmLooks lovely!
Sis says
November 23, 2010 at 7:13 pmI'm going to have to try this, it looks so good! I have a favorite recipe from a Vietnamese cooking blog but I am always willing to give another recipe a shot! lol
mycookinghut says
November 23, 2010 at 7:37 pmThis is my all time favourite!
Le Blog Piquant says
November 23, 2010 at 9:14 pmThat looks awesome! I'll put this on my "to do" list 😀
Anonymous says
November 23, 2010 at 9:55 pmjust use Mirin if you cant get xiao hsing wine, although I dont think most asian grocers will ask for your ID when you buy cooking wine.
Mrs M says
November 23, 2010 at 10:48 pmOh this looks delicious! I will definitely try this.
susan says
November 24, 2010 at 12:28 amI love bbq pork with rice. I have made it once before, but it's never as good as the ones you can buy from the bbq shop. Always serve mine with rice, asian greens and sriracha. Heaven in a bowl!
Oksana Lanis of Details by Oksana says
November 24, 2010 at 1:44 amthat looks sooo good 🙂
Verve.IS.served says
November 24, 2010 at 5:41 amKevin,
Your recipes are simple to prepare, but exciting and jam packed with flavor. Where do you get your inspiration from?
Priyanka
The Klutzy Cook says
November 24, 2010 at 6:17 amI've been meaning to make this forever – my Dad used to make it all the time. I'm inspired to get my act together now – thanks. It looks great.
Kevin says
November 24, 2010 at 12:59 pmDistilled: You can substitute mirin, sake or a sherry for the xiao hsing wine.
Anonymous says
November 25, 2010 at 6:13 amWhat a fabulous and flavourful recipe – SUPERB!
🙂 Mandy
Kevin says
November 25, 2010 at 12:01 pmCOSMIC ARCATA: You are correct! Traditionally red yeast rice is used to get the red colour. It would be worth the trip to Chinatown to get it but if you cannot find it you can easily skip it as its flavour is very mild and it is mostly used for the red colouring.
Rianne says
January 18, 2012 at 12:41 amWhere do you go in toronto for the xiao hsing wine? I tried to find it once for a differente recipe and came up empty.
quadri says
January 19, 2012 at 7:14 amI hate you T.T I'm actually at work while looking at your blog and my mouth is watering and I'm so hungry!!!
The dishes are totally what I prefer!!! Rice + vegetables+ meat and maybe some soya sauce
aaargh you are a genius totally trying some of your recipes 😉
Kevin says
January 19, 2012 at 11:45 amRianne: The easiest place to get it is Chinatown and I have seen it at the specialty small shop in the lower level at the Saint Lawrence Market.
Sarah says
May 14, 2012 at 6:20 amHi
What a wonderful pics of Char Siu you have here.
Perhaps you're interested to submit your food photos on a food photography site that has tagline "Food Photography that will make you hungry" 🙂
http://www.foodporn.net
It's free to submit, free to join, and a lot of members can enjoy your creation!
Quadri etnici says
January 14, 2014 at 7:33 pmI love chinese food, overmore if combine modern with tradition.
thank you for idea!
Dipinti says
February 26, 2014 at 10:59 amMy wife is chinese – we tried it yesterday and loved it.
Well done!