Char Siu Pork

Char siu (Chinese: pinyin: chāshāo; Cantonese Yale: chāsīu) is a Cantonese style of barbecued pork. Your options are: Pork loin; Pork belly, juicier and fattier; Pork butt (shoulder), leaner; Pork neck end, well marbled (jyu geng yuk). My personal preference is either the shoulder or the neck end for that juiciness without too much fat or being dry and overcooked.

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 90 mins

Total Time 1 hr 35 mins

Cooking Method: Barbecuing and Grilling

Cuisine: Asia, Chinese

Courses: Mains

Difficulty: Intermediate

Servings: 6

Ingredients

Marinade

1½ tbsp brown sugar
⅓ cup honey
⅓ cup hoisin sauce
2½ tbsp soy sauce (light)
1 tbsp soy sauce (dark)
1½ tsp Chinese 5 spice
2 tbsp oil (sesame)
2 tbsp bean curd (red)

Cooking

750 g pork shoulder or neck end
2 tbsp Extra Honey

Instructions

1
Cut the pork to the size you desire, 1.5" pieces work well as do thin slices, it is your choice; although, if you prefer thin slices then do not slice until after the marination and ultimately cook for less time.
2
Place the pork and marinade ingredients in a stain proof container or ziplock bag. Marinate 24 to 48 hours in the fridge (5 hours is the bare minimum).
3
If using bamboo skewers then soak them first in water for 15 to 20 minutes to prevent them burning, otherwise use metal skewers and load them with the meat. Transfer the meat to a plate and retain the marinade, as you can brush the meat with it as it cooks.
4
Either a charcoal or gas BBQ is fine, use what you prefer and always use whichever you have to hand.
5
Once the coals are evenly lit and covered in a fine layer of white ash the BBQ is ready to go. With gas, so long as the grill hits your desired temperature then you're also good to go.
6
Brush the grill with a little oil to help prevent the skewers sticking. Place them over the direct heat and close the lid in order to enforce a nice char on the bottom for 2 to 3 minutes, do not turn them too soon or they will tear.
7
Brush the marinade over the skewers then turn over and brush again, closing the lid for a further 2 minutes.
8
Remove from the direct heat and place over indirect heat i.e. where a burner is off or no coals exist to keep warm.
9
Serve as you wish, although, as this is a BBQ you will likely have enough additional items to accompany the Char Siu.

Nutrition Facts

Servings 6

Amount Per Serving
Calories 477.50kcal

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 28.01g44%
Saturated Fat 8.68g44%
Sodium 1029.39mg43%
Potassium 447.56mg13%
Total Carbohydrate 33.72g12%
Dietary Fiber 0.47g2%
Sugars 1.84g
Protein 23.00g46%

Vitamin C 0.19 mg
Calcium 28.80 mg
Iron 1.86 mg

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Note

The first thing to note here is not the preparation time or the cooking time, but the marination duration of up to 2 days! Avoid red food colouring to make the pork red, this is how you might be served it in an Asian takeaway. Authentic Char Siu uses red bean curd for colouring and a touch of flavour. Asian supermarkets readily sell it, as does Amazon, use about 2 tbsp of the liquid and no red food colouring is required.