The only char siu recipe you need to make juicy flavorful pork with a sweet glossy glaze, just like you’d get at a Cantonese restaurant. {Gluten-Free adaptable}
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.
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.
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.
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.
(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?
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 fried noodles, char siu fried rice, steamed char siu buns, baked char siu buns, char siu pastries, and much more. And you’re not just limited to traditional Cantonese dim sum – Lilja and I just made these scallion biscuits with char siu gravy using the drippings we collected from the pan.
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.
More delicious pork recipes
- Sweet and Sour Pork
- Chinese Lion’s Head Pork Meatballs
- Slow Roasted Crispy Pork Belly (Siu Yuk)
- Mom’s Best Braised Pork Ribs
- Asian-Style Instant Pot Pulled Pork
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.
Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork, 叉烧肉)
Ingredients
- 2 to 2.5 lbs (1 kg) pork tenderloin (or pork loin)
Sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup oyster sauce
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 2 teaspoon garlic , grated
- 1 teaspoon five spice powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 10 drops red food coloring (Optional)
- 2 tablespoons maltose (or honey)
Instructions
- (Optional) If you’re using pork loin, cut the pork along the grain, into 2 strips about 2” (6 cm) wide and 1”(3 cm) thick. Skip this step if using tenderloin.
- Prepare the marinade and the glaze the day before you cook.
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. 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 (highly recommended), or for at least 6 hours.
Prepare the Glaze
- Microwave the maltose for 20 seconds or so, until the top loosens. Do NOT touch the maltose with your fingers. It’s very hot once it’s heated. Grease your tablespoon with a thin layer of oil. Transfer 2 tablespoons of maltose into a small saucepan. The oil coating on the spoon will help the maltose to fall into the pan without stuck on the spoon.
- Add the rest mixed sauce into the same pan. Heat over medium heat and stir frequently to melt the maltose, until brought to a simmer. Turn to medium low heat. Cook for 5 minutes to thicken the sauce slightly.
- Once done, let the sauce cool for at least 10 minutes. Carefully transfer the sauce into a heat-proof mason jar or container. Let cool for another 10 to 15 minutes. Cover and transfer into the fridge. The sauce will continue to thicken once chilled.
Roasting
- When the pork is marinated and the glaze is chilled, you’re ready to cook.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 C). Line a large baking tray with aluminum foil and add 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) water. Place a grilling rack on top. (Alternatively, you can grill the pork as well)
- Transfer the pork onto the grilling track. Drizzle a few tablespoons marinating liquid onto the pork. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Baste the pork, using a brush to dab the glaze onto the top side. Turn to the other side and dab glaze on top. Bake for 5 minutes.
- Baste the top of the pork, and bake for another 5 minutes. Once done, you can check the doneness by inserting a thermometer into the thickest part of the pork. It should read at least 145 F (63 C). Return the pork to the oven to bake for another 5 minutes or so if needed.
- Turn on the broiler. Broil for 3 minutes. Flip the pork to baste the other side. Broil for another 3 minutes. The pork should look glossy, lightly charred, and cooked through.
- Once the pork is done, brush it with the rest of the glaze. Cover loosely with aluminum foil. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
- You can serve the pork hot over rice as a main dish, or at room temperature as a cold appetizer. It’s super delicious either way.
Storage & other uses
- You can use the char siu drippings and meat to make char siu gravy (served with homemade scallion biscuits).
- You can use leftover char siu to make char siu fried noodles, char siu fried rice, and char siu buns (recipes coming soon!)
- To store the char siu, place it in a sealed container or bag and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Video
Nutrition
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.
Maggie, thank you for your description of making char suit. I am making some today. I live near El Paso and there are NO decent Chinese restauranfs here.
A transplanted Kentuckian in Tests,
Linda Douglas
My niece just made your Char Siu for me, and I loved it! I will make it for my family this weekend, and I anticipate their delight. Thank you for sharing your recipes with the world.
Maureen
Could you tell me what type of soup is in the last picture before the recipe? Do you already have a recipe somewhere? I am going to try this pork recipe tonight – it looks so delicious! I just found your website today, and can’t wait to try some new dishes!
Hi Sandi, sorry for the slow reply. I made the noodle soup long time ago and cannot remember clearly. But I’m pretty sure it’s a very simple chicken broth-based soup with some ginger and soy sauce added in. It was extra rich because I used homemade broth at the time. If you’re interested in making it, you can either use my soy sauce noodle base (http://omnivorescookbook.com/soy-sauce-noodles) or wonton soup (https://omnivorescookbook.com/recipes/wonton-soup) base. Both will work with. Just top the char siu on it!
Can this be cooked on a charcoal bbq grill? This is my favorite pork ever, I so want to make it! I don’t have an oven though.
100% sure you can. Actually the result should be better because it’s easier to glaze the pork while grilling. You might need to check the grilling time depending on the cut you make. I’m thinking grilling with indirect heat first to let the pork cook through like 80%, then glaze (multiple times) and grill at the end maybe a bit of time over direct heat to give it the char. The glaze is very sugary so I would brush them at a later stage to prevent it from burning.
Great recipe! The maltose really made the difference for me. Dealing with that lump of maltose is worth the trouble. I had a few packages of Chinese spareribs In the house and used those for the recipe and they were great.
One thing, I bought meat hooks from Amazon so I can hang my Char Siu pork with a pan with some water under it to catch the drippings. And I also got hooks there to hang ducks and chickens in the oven.
Hi Larry, I’m so glad to hear you liked the recipe! It’s such a smart idea to roast the ribs using meat hooks. I imagine the meat will roast more evenly and the bottom side less soggy. Do you have a link to the Amazon product you bought? I want to try it out but I’m not sure if my oven is big enough. Curious about your setup.
As always, this recipe knocks it out of the PARK! I used your Black Bean Sauce to make your Hoisin sauce, which I then used in the recipe with the other ingredients. I always have the black bean sauce and Hoisin prepared here at home from your recipes and recommend to everyone! Maggie’s BBS and Hoisin are the BEST ever, take it to the bank!! None better anywhere, they are on a level all by themselves!
This Char Siu came out brilliantly! Followed the directions to the letter, the amounts made were perfect, and it came out so tasty, moist, glaze-y and just delicious! I’m about to make some Char Siu Chow Mein, and I saved off what amounts to about a pint of Char Siu liquid for that gravy and scallion biscuits!
Thank you Maggie for so many amazing recipes, they are always top notch, I’m grateful for your selfless sharing. Have you considered doing a hardcover book release??? You’d be a best seller and I’d be #1 in line!!
Hi Kevin, so happy to hear you like the recipe! Can’t wait to hear your feedback on the char siu chow mein and the gravy and biscuits. Happy cooking!
PS. I’d love to do a hardcovered cookbook in the future when an opportunity presented 🙂
I’m excited for this recipe! Do you have any recommendations on what to use other than maltose for diabetics to also get that glaze? Would agave work?
Hi Katherine, I’ve never tried this recipe with agave. I think honey works better (low Gi, higher than agave but still much lower than maltose) because it has a thicker texture.
We just bought a few whole chickens from a local farmer, and I was wondering what to do with one of em’ at the end of the weekend. Turns out this recipe works out amazingly well with a whole chicken as well(Or maybe I’m missing and there’s a recipe for it on your website with a chicken as well?😅).
Turned out extremely juicy in the inside and a bit smokey on the outside(guessing it’s the water in the bottom of the baking dish?). And the taste was absolutely amazing,
Fantastic recipe, thank you again:)
Hi Ronen, I’m so glad to hear you liked the recipe! The chicken idea sounds great. I’ve never tried it before but now I can’t wait to test it myself!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi what an excellent recipe. The quantities were spot on for the glaze and it tastes and looks exactly like it should! Thank you
I made these for CNY Eve. I invited my son and daughter in law for a Chinese dinner
The end result was very good using pork loin. I used honey as I did not have Maltose so the marinade was a bit runny but the flavor was there. Marinated it over night
Excellent recipe, reminded me of my time in Hong Kong. Just wish my Shanghaiese wife would eat pork, I’d make it more often
Hi Maggie,
Firstly, I love your site, you are my cooking hero. I’ve made your mapo dofu over 10 times as well as the eggplant with garlic sauce and dry-fried green beans.
Second, this morning I put together the marinade/sauce before drinking my coffee and put all of it in the bag with the raw pork instead of just 1/2 cup. Is this a disaster? Should I pour out some of the sauce or just leave it in and make more?
Sorry to bug you with such a silly question.
Hi Jeffrey, no worries at all! You can just leave the marinade in and make more for the glazing. I think your pork will come out well 🙂
Thanks!
My family loves this recipe. We make it with chicken due to food issues and it’s amazing. The marinade unthickened also makes an incredible jerky marinade. Thank you for having this site and posting all these amazing recipes.
This version of Char Sui really lends itself to being grilled on a BBQ. I kept it at 400-450 deg F all the way, and added one more flip to put more baste on the two sides. Ultimate compliment was from a Malay friend who said ‘just like home’!. I did add 3 cloves of garlic, minced, to the recipe as we like garlic. One downside was that the strips came out more dark red than I wanted, still trying to figure out how to make the uncharred spots a more intense red. The 3 lbs only lasted two days between friends and family!
Love your recipes and accompanying back stories & histories!
I made this for my son and his wife and my Shanghaiese wife. Was the star of the dinner.
REALLY yummy. Almost as good as the Hong Kong dimsum. 🙂
Great marinade. Can I use Korean corn syrup instead of the maltose, or should I just use honey as you suggest?
I’ve only used Korean rice syrup, but if the corn syrup has the similar sticky thick texture it might be a better option than the honey. Glad you like the marinade!
Hello Maggie… . this looks great. However, I am not a fan of hoisin sauce. Can you recommend an alternative such as Gochujang?
Kind regards,
Nick
The filling actually doesn’t taste like hoisin sauce. For another alternative, chee hou sauce is a great option: https://amzn.to/2wcv9de It’s similar to hoisin but in a good way. You could potentially increase the oyster sauce and molasses (+2 tablespoons oyster sauce and +2 tablespoons molasses).
Hi Nick, I too am not a fan of hoisin sauce, and the flavor of the sauce was not strongly hoisin. I would recommend trying it as is (I did use a little less sugar).
Tried this tonite. OMG. This has the best flavor. The pork was not dry at all. I will def make this again!!
Have made this twice. Great flavor – labor intensive but worth it. And didn’t seem quite as hard the second time around.
Love this recipe! Very good flavor and glaze on the pork. The one thing I changed is instead of pork loin , I used pork butt well trimmed to take off excess fat and cut into 2 inch squared thickness. Pork butt seems to hold the glaze better and the texture is better.