Char siu pork served on steamed rice close-up

Hailing from Guangdong province in the south of China, char siu or barbecued pork is one of the darlings of dim sum, firmly in the catalog of Cantonese cuisine.

It doesn’t do the dish justice, merely to describe char siu with words. But it is a lean cut of barbecued pork, given a deep red color and shiny coating from the glaze. And it’s famously sweet. However, simply calling it sweet does not convey the complex flavors that result from the long marinating process.

The name Char Siu (or Cha Shao), literally means ‘fork roast’ due to the traditional way of cooking. After marinating, the pork is hung on a special fork and placed in the oven for roasting. During the roasting, the chef will baste the pork with a sugary glaze many times, giving it that appetizing glossy look.

A good char siu should be slightly chewy, juicy, with a vibrant, rich color and an equally alluring aroma. There are so many char siu recipes out there that simply yield a sweet piece of pork. For me, it’s important to create a good marinade base to give the cut a fragrant taste, and add just enough sweetness to complete it. That’s why you will see a lot of fresh aromatics and maybe less sugar in this recipe.

Sliced Chinese BBQ pork on cutting board

Cooking notes

1. Recipe update

The recipe was originally published three years ago. Over the years I’ve been trying to perfect the process. Today I’m sharing an updated version.

In this version I made a few small changes:

  • Added molasses to the marinade to give the pork a better glaze.
  • Reduced the soy sauce to create a thicker sauce, so it hangs onto the pork during roasting.
  • Used maltose so the pork will have a glossy look, like in Cantonese restaurants.
  • Simplified the baking and basting process.

2. What cut of pork for Char Siu

In this recipe I used pork tenderloin which is the lean cut traditionally used in Cantonese restaurants. You can also use pork loin if you want a slightly cheaper cut. Some people enjoy Chinese BBQ pork made from a fattier cut, for example, pork leg, or even pork belly.  You can adapt the recipe according to your preference.

No matter which cut you use, you should cut it into pieces about 2” (6 cm) wide and 1”(3 cm) thick, so the baking time will remain the same.

Homemade Chinese BBQ pork

3. An introduction to Maltose

Maltose is a super thick syrup that’s commonly used in traditional Chinese cooking. It is the secret ingredient that gives the char siu its beautiful glossy look.

Maltose is made from rice and malt. At room temperature, it’s ten times thicker than your regular syrup. It won’t fall from the cup if you hold it upside down. If you dig your spoon into it, it will feel very tough and difficult to stir. It will become more runny once heated up, but still quite sticky. That’s why it gives the BBQ pork a better glaze that sticks to the surface.

Maltose in a jar

To use maltose, I usually microwave the jar for 20 seconds to get the surface softened. Otherwise it’s very hard to measure the correct amount. Once heated up, the sugar gets VERY HOT. Avoid touching the hot sugar with your hand.

A quick tip: coat your measuring spoon with a thin layer of oil before scooping out the maltose. The sugar will fall from the spoon much easier.

These days you can easily get maltose on Amazon, although you can also get a jar for less than two bucks at an Asian market.

If you don’t want to use maltose, you can use honey to replace it. The coating will not stick as well but it will still end up delicious.

4. Workflow

Making char siu is a two-step process. If you plan ahead and get organized, it’s quite simple to make.

(1) Mix the sauce and marinate one day before cooking

  • You will use half of the sauce to marinate the pork. To give the pork as much flavor as possible, make sure to marinate it overnight.
  • Cook the other half of the sauce with maltose. Store it in a jar to use for the glaze.
Prepping for char siu pork

(2) Roast (or grill) the pork

  • Set up your oven or heat up the grill.
  • Brush the glaze over the pork multiple times while roasting (or grilling). To make the sauce stick better, use a brush to dab the glaze onto the pork.
  • Cook until the pork reaches 165 degrees F (74 C) and is lightly charred on the surface.
  • Rest the pork covered loosely with foil. Then brush on the final layer of glaze.

That’s it! Sounds pretty easy doesn’t it?

Bake Chinese BBQ pork in the oven
Sliced Chinese BBQ pork on cutting board close-up

5. Leftovers

Here is the best part. Usually when you have leftovers, they are just waiting to be reheated and consumed the same way. Not with char siu!

If there is any leftover char siu, you can use it to make many popular dishes such as char siu pork lo mein, char siu fried rice, steamed char siu buns, baked char siu buns, wonton char siu noodle soup, and much more.

Afterthoughts

No matter whether you’re planning the menu for your next dim sum party or simply brainstorming for next week’s dinner, Chinese BBQ pork is a great choice. It is easy to prepare ahead of time. It tastes great served either fresh out of the oven or cold. And you can use the leftovers to create so many other delicious dishes.

Char siu pork served on steamed rice

More delicious pork recipes

If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.

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Char siu pork

Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork, 叉烧肉)

By Maggie Zhu
5 from 43 votes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Marinade time: 12 hours
Total Time: 12 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
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Char siu pork is my homemade version of Cantonese Chinese BBQ pork, made with a fatty cut of pork shoulder marinated in a hoisin, five spice, and Shaoxing wine sauce, then roasted and broiled under a glossy maltose glaze. It slices into tender, red edged strips with a sticky, lightly sweet coating.

Ingredients 

  • 2 to 2.5 lbs pork shoulder (or pork loin) (*Footnote 1)

Sauce

Instructions

  • Prepare the pork: Cut the pork along the grain into long strips about 2 to 3” (5 to 7.5 cm) wide and 1 to 1 1/4” (2.5 to 3 cm) thick. (*Footnote 4)

Marinade

  • In a large bowl combine the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, molasses, garlic, five spice powder, salt, and food coloring (if using). Stir to mix well. Transfer the pork into a large ziplock bag. Pour 1/2 cup of the mixed sauce into the bag, saving the remaining sauce in a jar in the fridge to make the glaze later. Squeeze out as much air as possible and seal the bag. Massage the bag a few times so the pork pieces are covered evenly with the sauce. Transfer to the fridge and marinate overnight.

Prepare the Glaze

  • Soak the maltose jar in hot water, until the top loosens. You can also place the tablespoon in the hot water to heat up slightly. Grease your tablespoon with a thin layer of oil. (*Footnote 5)
  • Transfer 2 tablespoons of maltose into a 9” skillet. Add the rest of the mixed sauce into the same pan. Heat over medium heat and stir to melt the maltose, until brought to a simmer.
  • Simmer, stir constantly, for 3 minutes to thicken the sauce until it coats the back of a spoon. Once done, transfer the sauce to a bowl and set aside.

Roasting

  • Preheat the oven to 450ºF (230ºC), or 425ºF (220ºC) convection.
  • Line a baking tray with a grilling rack, pour a layer of water into the tray without touching the rack.
  • Spread the marinated pork onto the grilling rack. Brush both sides with glaze.
  • Bake for 5 minutes.
  • Then glaze both sides of the pork, and bake for another 5 minutes.
  • Measure the temperature of the thickest part of the pork with a thermometer, it should register from 140ºF to 150ºF (60ºC to 65ºC). Roast longer if needed.

Broil

  • Turn on the broiler. Glaze both sides of the pork. Broil for 3 minutes.
  • Flip the pork. You can skip the glazing if the pork still looks wet, because you want the final broil to dry out the glaze a bit more so it sticks to the pork. But you can glaze again if the pork looks a little dry.
  • Broil for another 3 to 4 minutes. The pork should look glossy, with a thick glaze coating the surface and charred edges.
  • You can test the doneness by inserting a thermometer into the thickest part of the pork. It should read 150ºF to 155ºF (65ºC to 68ºC) (*Footnote 6).
  • Transfer the pork to a big plate and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Then slice the pork and serve. (*Footnote 7)

Storage & other uses

  • Store the leftover pork and the glaze separately in the fridge for 4 to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. When reheating the pork, glaze it again and roast at 350ºF (176ºC) until heated through. You can use the leftover glaze in char siu buns filling as the sauce instead of making it from scratch.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

  1. Pork shoulder is highly recommended for the juiciest, most flavorful char siu. Pork loin creates a leaner result and should be monitored carefully to avoid overcooking. 
  2. Traditionally, Chinese chefs use red yeast rice to give char siu its signature red color. Because red yeast rice can be difficult to find, I use a small amount of red food coloring. If you prefer a natural ingredient, check out my char siu chicken recipe, where I use red fermented tofu (furu) to add color, or simply omit the food coloring.
  3. Maltose is a very sticky syrup that stays semi-solid at room temperature and remains thick when heated. It is the key ingredient to give the char siu pork that glossy coating. These days it’s quite easy to find it on Amazon if you don’t live close to a Chinese market, and I highly recommend getting it for the best result. Honey is an OK replacement, but the glaze will be much looser and won’t stay on the pork as well. 
  4. If using boneless pork shoulder, follow the natural seams where the bone was removed to divide the shoulder into large pieces. Cutting along the grain matters, because you’re eventually slicing the cooked strips crosswise. Cutting the initial slabs along the grain means the final serving slices will be across the grain. The sliced pieces won’t be very even in the shape but that’s OK. Try to keep the thickness the same though, so they roast at the same speed. 
  5. Maltose is a very thick syrup and it’s hard to scoop at room temperature. Heating the jar loosens its texture, and heating the spoon makes it easier to scoop. The oil coating helps the maltose slide off the spoon and into the pan.
  6. The temperature of the pork will keep rising after resting, so I prefer to stop a bit earlier to prevent the pork from drying out. If you use pork loin, it’s important to stop cooking at this stage because the cut is lean and will dry out if over cooked. Pork shoulder handles higher temperatures better and will still taste very good if you roast it a little longer.
  7. If using maltose, the glaze should thicken and cling to the pork well. If using honey, the glaze will be thinner and may not stick as well. In that case, you can brush the pork with additional glaze after roasting, or serve some of the leftover glaze alongside the pork.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 237kcal, Carbohydrates: 17.2g, Protein: 31.1g, Fat: 4.2g, Saturated Fat: 1.4g, Cholesterol: 83mg, Sodium: 878mg, Potassium: 565mg, Sugar: 13.6g, Calcium: 21mg, Iron: 2mg

Did you make this recipe?

I’d love to hear how it turned out for you! Please take a moment to leave a 5-star rating ⭐️ and share your thoughts in the comments further down the page. It really helps others discover the recipe too.

Lilja Walter is a part of the Omnivore’s Cookbook team and worked closely with Maggie to develop and test this recipe.

The original recipe was published on Jan 25, 2016 and updated by Oct 16, 2019.