Char Siu Pork

Name: Char Siu Pork
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 2 lbs pork shoulder, boneless, cut into 2-inch thick strips; 1/4 cup hoisin sauce; 1/4 cup honey; 1/4 cup soy sauce; 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine, or dry sherry; 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated; 1 tsp sesame oil; 2 drops red food coloring, optional, for traditional color; 1/4 tsp white pepper; 1/2 tsp salt; 4 green onions, sliced, for garnish; 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted, for garnish

Cantonese-style barbecued pork marinated in a sweet and savory sauce with five-spice powder, honey, and hoisin, perfect for rice bowls or noodle dishes.

70 minMediumServes 6320 cal/serving

ChineseDinnerOvenHigh ProteinLow CarbDairy-FreeNut-FreeCorn-Free

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

2 lbs pork shoulder, boneless, cut into 2-inch thick strips
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine, or dry sherry
1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp sesame oil
2 drops red food coloring, optional, for traditional color
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp salt
4 green onions, sliced, for garnish
1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted, for garnish

Instructions

1

In a large bowl, combine 1/4 cup hoisin sauce, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 tbsp or dry sherry Shaoxing rice wine, 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder, minced 4 minced garlic cloves, grated 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger, 1 tsp sesame oil, 2 drops optional, for traditional color red food coloring (if using), 1/4 tsp white pepper, and 1/2 tsp salt. Whisk until well combined.
2

Place the 2 lbs boneless, cut into 2-inch thick strips pork shoulder strips in a large resealable plastic bag or shallow dish. Pour the marinade over the pork, ensuring all pieces are well coated.
3

Seal the bag or cover the dish and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, turning the meat occasionally to ensure even marination.
4

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top. Spray or brush the rack with oil to prevent sticking.
5

Remove the pork from the marinade, reserving the marinade. Place the pork strips on the prepared rack, leaving space between each piece.
6

Roast for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and brush generously with the reserved marinade.
7

Return to the oven and roast for another 15 minutes. Brush with marinade once more.
8

Increase the oven temperature to 425°F (220°C) and roast for a final 10-15 minutes, or until the pork is caramelized on the outside and reaches an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C).
9

While the pork is roasting, pour the remaining marinade into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes until slightly thickened. This will be your glaze.
10

When the pork is done, remove from the oven and brush with the reduced glaze.
11

Let the pork rest for 10 minutes before slicing thinly across the grain.
12

Garnish with sliced 4 sliced, for garnish green onions and toasted 1 tbsp toasted, for garnish sesame seeds before serving.
13

Serve with steamed rice, in noodle soups, or as a filling for bao buns.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Keep this recipe

Prints the ingredients and method only.

The Chinese Kitchen 30 recipes from this kitchen in one printable PDF. $5, no account.

Questions

How long should Char Siu Pork marinate?

Step 3 reads: "Seal the bag or cover the dish and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, turning the meat occasionally to ensure even marination." Follow the time in step 3. Shorter still seasons the surface. Much longer is not better with acidic marinades, which turn the outside of meat or fish mushy.

What can I use instead of five-spice powder in Char Siu Pork?

The entry for Char Siu Pork calls for 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder. In its place: Ground cinnamon and star anise or anise seed, with a pinch each of clove and black pepper.

Is Char Siu Pork low-carb?

A serving of Char Siu Pork carries 18 g of carbohydrate, 1 g of it fiber. Against a strict 20 g keto day that is 90 percent of the budget; against a moderate 100 g low-carb day it is 18 percent.

Does Char Siu Pork contain sesame?

Yes: 1 tsp sesame oil and 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted, for garnish. The full allergen list for this entry is gluten, soy and sesame. Seeds used as a garnish can simply be left off; the oil has no true substitute. Packaged ingredients vary by brand, so check labels if the allergy is serious.

Which part of Char Siu Pork can be done ahead?

Everything up to step 3. Step 3 is a built-in pause of overnight, or about 8 hours: "Seal the bag or cover the dish and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, turning the meat occasionally to ensure even marination." Do everything up to that point ahead of time and pick up at step 4 when you are ready to finish.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,544 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.