{"id":30889,"date":"2025-01-08T02:10:35","date_gmt":"2025-01-08T10:10:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/iamafoodblog.com\/?p=30889"},"modified":"2025-01-08T02:04:20","modified_gmt":"2025-01-08T10:04:20","slug":"a-really-easy-chinese-bbq-pork-aka-char-siu-recipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iamafoodblog.com\/a-really-easy-chinese-bbq-pork-aka-char-siu-recipe\/","title":{"rendered":"Easy Homemade Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)"},"content":{"rendered":"

My ultimate comfort food is a bowl of fluffy rice, doused in sweet soy sauce with glistening glossy slices of Chinese bbq pork aka char siu.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s one of our go-to dinners for Mike and I because it\u2019s just so darn easy. We usually just head to our favorite Chinese BBQ place and buy a pound of char siu along with some roast duck.<\/p>\n

Sometimes though, ok, actually quite often, we’re living in a place without a great Chinese BBQ master, and then you need to take matters into your own hands. Luckily, unless you’re trying to make a whole crispy roast pork or a brace of ducks, a home oven is all you need to make some great Chinese BBQ.<\/p>\n

This is a quick and easy char siu aka Chinese BBQ pork recipe.<\/strong> It\u2019s essentially the same as this one here<\/a>, minus the red fermented tofu because we don\u2019t actually have any in the fridge. It lacks that hint of distinctive depth of flavor but it\u2019s still really darn tasty!<\/p>\n

\"char<\/picture><\/p>\n

What is Chinese BBQ pork?<\/h2>\n

Char siu literally translates to fork roasted and that\u2019s exactly what char siu is, normally: fork roasted pork. Pork \u2013 usually pork butt\/shoulder – is marinated in a sweet and savory BBQ sauce and then roasted. It\u2019s sweet and salty and has just some nice complexity thanks to five spice. It\u2019s juicy and sticky and just about perfect on a bowl of white rice.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"char<\/picture><\/p>\n

How to make char siu at home<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Cut your pork.<\/strong> You want to cut the pork into long strips at least 3 inches wide.<\/li>\n
  2. Marinate.<\/strong> Mix up honey, hoisin, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, garlic, ginger, five spice, and white pepper and rub it all over the pork and let it marinate overnight (or at least for an hour) in the fridge.<\/li>\n
  3. Roast.<\/strong> Let the pork get all juicy and cooked through on a wire rack in a low oven.<\/li>\n
  4. Make a glaze.<\/strong> Make a quick glaze by bringing the excess marinade and a bit of honey to a boil.<\/li>\n
  5. Brush.<\/strong> Generously coat the pork with the glaze and give it a blast of heat to char it. Slice and enjoy!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"char<\/picture><\/p>\n

    What kind of pork for char siu?<\/h2>\n

    You can use pretty much any piece of pork for char siu, from pork loin to pork butt. In fact, when you go to a real Chinese BBQ place, they often ask you, \u201cfei ding sau\u201d (\u80d6\u6216\u7626) which translates to fat or skinny. Truthfully they usually only use pork butt at Chinese BBQ places, but even then, there will be leaner and fattier parts on a pork butt. If you want:<\/p>\n