Char Siu (Chinese Barbecue Pork)

Name: Char Siu (Chinese Barbecue Pork)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: ½ cup water ((120ml)); 7 oz maltose (or honey (200g)); 2 tbsp Shao Hsing cooking wine; 4 tbsp hoisin sauce; 1 tsp five-spice powder; 1 tsp dark soy sauce; 2 cloves garlic ((minced)); 1 tsp sesame oil; 3 lbs pork shoulder ((trimmed and cut into thick strips))

By: 👩‍🦳 Linda · Published: 🖨 November 18, 2021 · Updated: 💻November 18, 2021 · 🗨 28 Comments

Recipe ▼

Easy to prepare oven roasted Char Siu (Chinese Barbecue Pork). Deliciously sticky, sweet, and savory. Perfect with steamed rice or noodles.

Char Siu (Chinese Barbecue Pork) is one of the most popular and ubiquitous roast meat in Chinese cuisine. Most restaurants have them hanging in glass cases at the entrance to entice you. Diners often end up ordering a plate of this sticky, sweet, and savory meat to complement the rest of their meal. Others will order it to-go on their way out of the restaurant. A case of meat at the entrance may not be the best decor but it can certainly be a pretty effective selling strategy.

Red Colored Char Siu

When I was a kid, Char Siu was often found at the wet markets. The market version of this Chinese Barbecue Pork tend to be leaner, drier, less sweet, and usually much redder in color. These were used mainly as an ingredient in fried rice and just about any noodle dish. The most popular was of course the Char Siu Wonton Noodles which always came with several slices of this red “rimmed” meat.

Good Char Siu should be moist with a sweet and salty taste combination. Unlike Siew Yoke (Roast Pork Belly), the meat should be relatively lean with just enough fat to keep it moist. If you use red fermented bean curd, the roasted meat may be slightly reddish in color.

Sweet Sticky Glaze Char Siu

In the recipe below, I did not use red fermented bean curd. This version is more like the one I remember eating as a child from a corner coffee shop located opposite the cinema in Section 17, Petaling Jaya. This shop sold mainly roast duck and char siu rice. They were very popular and their Chinese Barbecue Pork usually sold out during lunch time. Their barbecue pork were made with pork belly and the dark brown sticky glaze was quite sweet. It was delicious but a little on the fat side. As such, I decided to use a tender cut of pork shoulder instead. This cut of meat will give the roast pork a naturally pinkish color if it is not over cooked.

Maltose (Malt Sugar)

Maltose or malt sugar is the preferred sweetener used in making this barbecue pork to give it that characteristic shiny glaze. Over here in the US, maltose can be purchased at Chinese grocery stores. If you cannot find maltose, please use honey. There may be a slight difference in taste.

Similar Products Used in Making This Char Siu (Chinese Barbecue Pork)

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Maltose – 14.1oz [Pack of 3]
Shun Classic 7-Inch Santoku Hollow Ground Knife
Winco UT-9 Coiled Spring Heavyweight Stainless Steel Utility Tong, 9-Inch

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