Chinese BBQ Sauce (叉烧酱)

This is not just any ordinary barbecue sauce! It might look the same, but just one taste will convince you that this is the BBQ sauce you need in your life.

Easy homemade Chinese BBQ sauce

The sticky-sweetness of this decadent sauce might remind you of the assaulting flavors of char siu glaze. It has similar Cantonese notes and uses many of the same ingredients. However, this barbecue sauce forgoes a few special ingredients, so you won’t need a trip to the Asian market to make this dish.

• The sauce doesn’t contain maltose, a key ingredient in authentic Chinese BBQ pork. The sauce will be less sticky but still maintain a thick consistency for use as a regular BBQ sauce.
• This sauce has a rich, umami-caramel flavor made with ingredients you already have in your pantry.
• The sauce doesn’t use food coloring. While traditional char siu sauce sometimes uses red food coloring to give roast pork a vibrant scarlet hue, this barbecue sauce is a deep, dark, chocolatey brown.
• The addition of fresh ginger gives it that extra kick that will turn any ordinary food into tongue-teasing East Asian-inspired cuisine.
• The sauce is super easy to make. Once you mix the ingredients, it only takes ten minutes to turn them into the perfect barbecue sauce.

The only challenge is waiting for it to cool before eating it all! Trust me, it’s worth the wait 😉

How use to Chinese BBQ sauce

• The BBQ sauce has a thick consistency so it’s perfect to use as a BBQ glaze that you can brush on your meat at the end of grilling or baking.
• You can brush this Chinese BBQ sauce on meat cooked in the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker, then broil for a couple minutes, to create a BBQ dish effortlessly. See my Instant Pot Pork Rib recipe.
• The sauce is cooked so you can use it on cooked meat as a dipping sauce. It works well with chicken, pork, seafood, and even fries!
• This sauce is a perfect marinade. Not only can you use it to prepare meat for grilling, but also to marinate smaller pieces of meat for stir frying.
• You can experiment with the Chinese BBQ sauce in your favorite dishes such as baked beans or baked potatoes, replacing the traditional BBQ sauce. See this post to get more inspo on different ways to use BBQ sauce.

Use & Storage

The only thing you need to keep in mind when using this sauce is, you need to wait for it to cool down before using it as a glaze. The consistency will thicken once it’s cooled, so it clings better to the meat.

You can store the completely cooled sauce in an airtight container or jar in the fridge up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

More delicious baking recipes

• Slow Roasted Crispy Pork Belly (Siu Yuk)
• The Best Cantonese Roast Chicken
• Duck de Marietta (The Best Slow Roast Duck)
• Honey Soy Sauce Glazed Salmon
• 5-Ingredient Baked Chicken Thigh

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.

Chinese BBQ Sauce (叉烧酱)

By Maggie Zhu

4.86 from 7 votes

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 1 cup

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This Chinese BBQ sauce has a rich, sweet, savory taste with well-balanced Asian notes of ginger and five spice. It is super fast to make and has a thick consistency. Make your favorite dishes using this Chinese BBQ sauce to replace your regular sauce and make your weekday dinners more interesting! {Gluten-Free adaptable}

To make the sauce gluten free, use a gluten-free hoisin sauce or homemade hoisin sauce. Use a gluten-free oyster sauce. Use tamari or coconut aminos to replace soy sauce. And use dry sherry instead of Shaoxing wine.

Ingredients 

• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/4 cup oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
• 2 cloves garlic , grated
• 2 teaspoons ginger , grated
• 1 teaspoon five spice powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

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Instructions

• Mix everything together in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat and stir constantly to dissolve the sugar. Simmer until the sauce has thickened just enough to coat the back of a spoon, 10 minutes or so. Remove it from the stove and let cool for 10 minutes. Then transfer to a container or heat-proof mason jar. The sauce will thicken further once cooled. It’s ready to use now, or you can store it sealed in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• The sauce is perfect with pork, chicken, beef, and seafood. You can serve it alongside cooked food. Or use it as a glaze to finish up grilled or baked meat. For example, you can use it to make Instant Pot Pork Ribs.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 66kcal, Carbohydrates: 14.3g, Protein: 0.6g, Fat: 0.3g, Saturated Fat: 0.1g, Sodium: 630mg, Potassium: 110mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 10.9g, Calcium: 21mg, Iron: 1mg

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