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The best Char Siu recipe with perfect Cantonese BBQ char siu pork and sweet char siu sauce. This is an authentic recipe that tastes like Cantonese restaurants in Chinatown!
Char Siu Pork
Char Siu, or Chinese BBQ pork, is one of the most popular pork recipes in Cantonese cooking.
If you have been to Chinatown, I am sure you have seen glistening and perfectly roasted meats such as Chinese roast pork (siu yuk), chicken and duck hanging in front of the Chinese BBQ restaurants.
BBQ pork belly char siu is the epitome of Cantonese BBQ. They are always sliced into thin pieces and served with steamed white rice, with vegetable on the side.
Sometimes spelled as char siew or char sui, the pork is always perfectly charred, juicy, tender, dripping in a sticky, sweet and savory sauce.
When cooked right, this is one of the best pork recipes to savor in the whole world!
In this recipe, you will learn how to make the best char siu, 100% homemade, with the taste that rivals the best Cantonese restaurants in Chinatown!
Char Siu Recipe
How to make char siu? There are two parts of the recipe.
The first part is picking the best cut of pork. The second part is making the char siu sauce which is the marinade.
It’s best to marinate the pork belly overnight. To BBQ, roast in the oven at 400F for 15 minutes.
Set the oven to broil and broil all sides of the pork belly until they char nicely. Slice into thin pieces before serving.
Ingredients
Before you marinate the pork belly, you will need to make the Char Siu Sauce.
Here are the list of ingredients:
- “Nam yue” or fermented red bean curd. This ingredient is optional if you don’t have it, but it adds the iconic nuance and aromas to the pork.
- Maltose (preferred) or honey.
- Soy sauce.
- Oyster sauce.
- Five spice powder.
- Ground white pepper.
These ingredients mingle together to produce the most amazing, sweet, savory, sticky sauce that marinates the pork belly before roasting in the oven. You can make a few servings and keep them in the fridge.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make Char Siu Pork Belly
Step 1: Get a big bowl, mix all the Char Siu Sauce ingredients, add the garlic and pork belly and marinate overnight in the fridge.
Step 2: The next day, heat the oven to 400 °F (200 °C). Place the pork belly on a wire rack or in a pan lined with aluminum foil. Roast for 15 minutes.
Step 3: Removed from oven and turn the pork belly over, brush the remaining Char Siu Sauce on the pork. Continue to roast for another 15 minutes.
Step 4: Set the oven to Broil and broil each side of the pork belly for about 1 min, until each side become nicely charred. The char siu will look dark in color, it’s normal.
Step 5: Slice the char siu into thin and bite-size pieces, serve immediately with steamed white rice and the remaining Char Siu Sauce. You may heat up the remaining Char Siu Sauce and bring to a simmer and set aside.
Cooking Tips For The Best Char Siu Pork Belly
I have another Chinese BBQ Pork recipe, but this is the best and most authentic recipe ever!
The taste of this recipe reminds me of the best of the best in Malaysia, found at the many chicken rice stalls there.
Here are my Cooking Tips:
- Use pork belly. Try to choose fatty pork belly with equal layer of meat and fat. The ratio of fat and meat should be 50:50.
- If you can’t find pork belly, you may choose fatty pork shoulder or pork butt.
- Remove the skin before marinating the pork.
- Marinate overnight for the deeper flavors.
- Roast and BBQ the pork in an oven. Then grill over direct fire (using an outdoor BBQ grill or over the stove top). You can also use broil it using your oven. The key is to char all sides of the pork belly with a nice char.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use pork tenderloin for char siu.
Pork tenderloin is less fatty but it will make a leaner and healthier version of this recipe.
You can keep the leftover in the refrigerator for a few days but I don’t recommend freezing.
This recipe is only 361 calories per serving.
What To Serve With This Recipe
Serve this recipe with plain rice or chicken rice. For a Cantonese BBQ dinner at home, I recommend the following recipes.
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Recipes You Might Like
Char Siu (The Best Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 lb. skinless pork belly, cut into 2 long strips
- 2 tablespoons garlic, finely chopped
Char Siu Sauce:
- 2 pieces Chinese fermented red bean curd
- 1 tablespoon maltose , or honey
- 1 tablespoon Chinese Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark and thick soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon five-spice powder
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper powder
- 3 1/2 oz sugar, 100 g or 8 1/2 tablespoons
Instructions
- Get a big bowl, mix all the Char Siu Sauce ingredients, add the garlic and pork belly and marinate overnight in the fridge.
- The next day, heat the oven to 400 °F (200 °C). Place the pork belly on a wire rack or in a pan lined with aluminum foil. Roast for 15 minutes.
- Removed from oven and turn the pork belly over, brush the remaining Char Siu Sauce on the pork. Continue to roast for another 15 minutes.
- Set the oven to Broil and broil each side of the pork belly for about 1 min, until each side become nicely charred. The char siu will look dark in color, it's normal.
- Slice the char siu into thin and bite-size pieces, serve immediately with steamed white rice and the remaining Char Siu Sauce. You may heat up the remaining Char Siu Sauce and bring to a simmer and set aside.
Video
Notes
- Use pork belly. Try to choose fatty pork belly with equal layer of meat and fat. The ratio of fat and meat should be 50:50.
- If you can’t find pork belly, you may choose fatty pork shoulder or pork butt.
- Remove the skin before marinating the pork.
- Marinate overnight for the deeper flavors.
- Roast and BBQ the pork in an oven. Then grill over direct fire (using an outdoor BBQ grill or over the stove top). You can also use broil it using your oven. The key is to char all sides of the pork belly with a nice char.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Bee,
Thanks for the simple recipe. I plan to try it out soon. However I don’t eat oyster sauce nowadays. If I omit it would it affect the end result? Thanks in advance.
Yeah, it won’t be as tasty. Just use more sugar.
First time making char siew and your recipe is so easy to follow! The result is exactly what I was craving for. Thanks!
So awesome to hear thanks for trying my char siu recipe.
Just made a batch and it is really yummy. Sticky, gooey goodness . Love it . Thank you for the easy recipe.
Awesome!!!
Hi Bee,
This char siew recipe is definitely a keeper. I marinated it for 2 days and it was so yummy. Was a bit hesitant to try initially as it had the red fermented bean curd and wasn’t sure how my girls would take it. But they loved it.
Yes, this is an amazing char siu recipe!
Absolutely DELICIOUS. Instead of 2 pieces of “Chinese fermented red bean curd” I used 2 teaspoons of Dark Aged Japanese soybean miso, but other than that I followed the ingredients to a T. I did a slightly different cooking scheme based on other recipes I researched. I added cornstarch to the end of my marinade as that seems traditional. And for cooking I pre-heated the oven to 350, turned it down to 325 and cooked the pork on a rack for 15 minutes, then I took it out, brushed the pork with the marinade on both sides and put it back into the oven for 10 minutes. During the 10 minutes I made a glaze with: 1/4 cup of water, 1/4 cup of brown sugar and 4 tablespoons of honey. When the 10 mins were up I brushed both sides with the glaze and turned the temp to 400 degrees f and cooked for 10 more minutes. Finally I put the pork under the broiler for 3 minutes. Absolutely delicious. Taste authentic!
Hi CL thanks for trying this char siu recipe.
Solid recipe Bee – looks killer!!!!!
This recipe is legit, so good, you must try!! Better than any char siu’s here!
If anyone has a baby George Foreman Rotisserie……. I just spray the basket attachment put the Pork Belly in and in 30 mins………….HEAVEN!……..Works very well with PLAIN pork Belly!!!
This recipe makes the best tasting Char Sui…….
This recipe is a great and easy. I like it that there is no need to pre-boil the sauce. The char xiu came out perfect. My daughter says its better than those we bought from the hawker centres in singapore. I added an extra step at the end. I turned on the broiler and broil it 5 mins per side to make it more ‘char grilled’. I have tried with both pork belly and shoulder butt and results are good with both. Tks for sharing the recipe.
Thanks for trying the recipe, yep, it’s definitely better than chicken rice stalls. ;)
Have tried this recipe twice and it came out perfect both times!
A simple recipe that produces great results. The Char Siu was sticky, sweet and savoury – exactly as you promised, and just the way I love it. The Boyfriend says it is even better than the hawker stall ones in Malaysia, and that’s high praise coming from him.
The recipe is very forgiving – I made minor tweaks and still, it turned out awesome.
Firstly, I used rather fatty pork belly (0.5 in thick) because that’s all that Costco had. Some fat is necessary though because it caramelizes so well – lean meat just doesn’t cut it.
Then I had honey instead of maltose, thick sweet soya sauce instead of dark soy sauce (didn’t have it and didn’t want to buy a whole bottle just for this), and I used only 4 tbsp. of sugar – 8.5 seemed a bit much.
I don’t have a proper oven – after a 24-hour marinade in the fridge, the char siu went into the NuWave oven.
10 mins per side on High, on the 4in rack.
Ta dah!
Perfection and a happy belly!
Thanks for this super idiot-proof recipe. By the way, I’m not a cook and am a newbie in the kitchen, so if I can cook this – anyone can!
Hi Tina, thanks for your rave review! :)
Good. This is my favorite type of Char Siew. Thank you for sharing it. Love it.