Char Siu

Name: Char Siu
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: 800 g boneless pork shoulder or collar (pork neck), cut lengthwise into strips about 4 cm thick — the fat marbling keeps it juicy; 3 tbsp hoisin sauce; 2 tbsp light soy sauce; 1 tbsp dark soy sauce (for colour); 3 tbsp honey, divided — 2 for the marinade, 1 for the glaze; 2 tbsp sugar; 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry); 1 tbsp oyster sauce; 0.5 tsp Chinese five-spice powder; 3 garlic cloves, finely grated; 1 cube red fermented bean curd, mashed (optional — for the classic red colour and depth); 0.25 tsp white pepper; 1 tbsp neutral oil

Char siu — the words mean 'fork roast', for the way strips of pork were traditionally skewered on long forks and hung in a roasting oven — is the glossy red barbecue pork you see hanging in the windows of Cantonese roast-meat shops. Marbled pork shoulder is bathed in a sweet-savoury glaze of hoisin, soy, honey and five-spice, then roasted until the edges char and caramelise. At home an oven does the job well: a long marinade builds the flavour, and a final honey glaze under high heat gives the sticky, blistered, faintly burnt edges that define good char siu. It is endlessly useful — sliced over rice, folded into fried rice or noodles, or tucked warm into a soft steamed bun.

Total time55m

Active time25m

Servings4

DifficultyEasy

Cost$

Add to my meal plan

🍖

BBQ pork

Glossy red Cantonese roast pork

🍯

Maltose glaze

Sticky, caramelised, faintly charred edges

⏲️

Long marinade

Deep flavour from an overnight rest

🍚

Endlessly useful

Over rice, in noodles or in a bun

Ingredients 4 servings

800 g boneless pork shoulder or collar (pork neck), cut lengthwise into strips about 4 cm thick — the fat marbling keeps it juicy
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce (for colour)
3 tbsp honey, divided — 2 for the marinade, 1 for the glaze
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
1 tbsp oyster sauce
0.5 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
3 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 cube red fermented bean curd, mashed (optional — for the classic red colour and depth)
0.25 tsp white pepper
1 tbsp neutral oil

How to make it

1MAKE THE MARINADE: in a bowl whisk the hoisin, light soy, dark soy, 2 tbsp honey, sugar, Shaoxing, oyster sauce, five-spice, grated garlic, mashed fermented bean curd, white pepper and oil into a smooth, glossy paste.
2MARINATE: coat the pork strips thoroughly, cover, and refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, turning once — long marinating is what gives char siu its deep flavour and colour.
3COME TO ROOM TEMPERATURE: take the pork out 30 minutes before cooking so it roasts evenly.
4ROAST: heat the oven to 200 C; set the strips on a rack over a foil-lined tray with a splash of water in the tray to catch drips and stop smoking; roast 25 minutes.
5BASTE AND TURN: brush the pork with the leftover marinade, turn each strip, and roast another 15 minutes until the edges start to caramelise and char at the tips — those slightly burnt edges are the signature.
6GLAZE: warm the last 1 tbsp honey with 1 tsp hot water and brush it over the pork; blast under a hot grill or at 240 C for 3-5 minutes until sticky, lacquered and blistered in spots, watching closely so it does not burn.
7REST AND SLICE: rest 10 minutes, then slice across the grain into 1 cm pieces; serve over rice, in noodles, or in a bun, spooning any tray juices over the top.