The Secret to Juicy and Delicious Char Siu Roast Pork

Discover the secrets to succulent Char Siu Roast Pork! Learn the tricks to perfect roast pork marinade and roasting tips to get a juicy and tender meat!

I first saw and tasted Char Siu Pork in Jakarta. It was in a steamed bun. I fell in love right away and decided that was the only steamed bun I would have for the rest of my life, char siu pork bun!

It is easy to find Char Siu Pork on the streets of Hong Kong or Singapore or any Asian countries. The charred, red meat hanging at the food stalls with some oil dripping on the container below always lure people.

What is Char Siu?

Char Siu (叉燒 cha shao) is a Chinese dish of strips of roast pork marinated with sweet and savory sauce.  Char siu originated from Guangdong, the name means ‘fork roasted’ which refers to the method of using fork to roast the long strips of meat.

Pork is marinated in sweet and savory BBQ sauce for at least overnight and then roasted. The honey-glazed succulent char siu roast pork has been a lot of people’s favorite food.

A good Char Siu Pork

Char siu roast pork are easily found in noodle shops or roast meat restaurants in any Chinatowns all over the world. But, I found that it is difficult to find a good char siu roast pork nowadays. Probably some restaurants choose to skimp the marinade sauce.

A good char siu roast pork should have deep flavor seeping into the meat and has a balance of salty and sweet sauce that compliments the tender juicy meat.

Serve it with steamed rice, ramen egg, and blanched pok choy. And that will be heaven on earth!

Meat Selection

This recipe calls for pork but if you can’t eat pork, you can substitute it with chicken or turkey.

I tried to recreate the juicy roast pork from Chinese restaurants at home, so I have tried different parts of pork to finally point my finger mostly to the neck part.

Of course you can use pork shoulder or pork butt. It depends on your preference.

I like combining the neck part and the shoulder part with the ratio of 7 to 3.

This also depends on the neck part. If I see the neck part has too much fat and not enough meat, I will add pork shoulder more.

Some people may prefer pork belly for a richer flavor or pork loin for a leaner option. However, remember that pork loin can be less juicy if roasted too long.

The Marinade

Traditional marinade sauce uses Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and five spice powder. Sometimes fermented bean curd and rice wine are added to level up the flavor. Honey or maltose is often used for the sweet taste.

I have tested so many recipes and ended up with this one! My family and friends love this!

Roasting

Roasting can be done in a few ways.

Oven

Put the strips of meat on an aluminum-foil-lined pan. Transfer to a preheated oven of 180°C and roast for 20 minutes.

Pan-fried

You can still roast this char siu pork even if you don’t have an oven. Put the strips of meat on a non-stick pan. Turn on medium heat. When it boils, cover with the lid to keep the meat juicy. Cook for 20 minutes.

Air-fry

Use air-fry machine to roast the pork for 30 minutes. Set the temperature at 180°C. Keep checking every 15 minutes.

Char Siu Roast Pork Recipe

500 gr pork neck or shoulder or butt (cut into long strips) or chicken thigh fillet

Seasoning

• 1 tbsp red yeast rice
• 1 tsp five spice powder
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp pepper
• 3 tbsp rice wine
• 1 tbsp shao xing wine
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 4 garlic crushed

How To

Cut the pork neck into long strips about 5 cm wide. Set aside.

Marinade Sauce

Combine red rice yeast, sugar, honey, soy sauce, pepper, rice wine, Shao xing wine, sesame oil. Add red food coloring if you like. If not, the red rice yeast will give out brown red color to the meat.

Add crushed garlic into the sauce. Mix well.

Put the meat inside a zip lock bag. Pour the marinade sauce into the bag. Zip it tightly. Press the meat inside the bag to make sure all the meat is covered with the sauce.

Turn it upside down just like in the video. Transfer the bag into the chiller afterwards. Refrigerate overnight or for at least 8 hours before roasting.

I usually roast the meat after 2 days in the chiller to let the sauce seep into the meat completely.

Don’t worry! Once marinated, the meat will not go bad. It is like a preserving method.

Roasting

The next day or on the day you want to roast, take out the bag. Prepare a baking pan, you may line it with aluminium foil.

Bake in a preheated oven 180°C for 30 minutes. Keep checking once in a while. Reduce the oven temperature if the meat looks burning.

After 30 minutes of roasting, take out the meat from the oven. Brush with some honey or maltose. Roast for another 10 minutes.

Take it out again, flip the meat, brush the other part and roast again for the final 10 minutes.  

The total roasting time is now 50 minutes. The meat should be roasted enough with some charred part and caramelized top.

Leave it to cool for 10 minutes. Slice the meat according to your liking.

Serve with steamed rice, ramen egg, or tomato stir-fry egg, blanched pok choy and some sambal or chili oil.

Enjoy!

Serving

Honey roasted bbq pork is a very versatile dish. It can be paired with noodles, rice, or steamed bun. This recipe will surely capture your family’s heart, plus it is easy to make!

A few slices of honey roasted bbq pork paired with stir-fried bok choy, ramen egg and steamed white rice is a great choice for family dinner.

Pairing

Char siu roast pork goes well with tomato egg stir-fry, omelette with shrimp.

Storage

Keep the roasted pork in a closed container in the fridge. This should stay fresh for up to 2 weeks. You can reheat in an oven or microwave or air-fry.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q: What’s the best part of pork for Char Siu?

A: The ideal cut is pork shoulder or pork butt. It as enough fat necessary to make the roast pork juicy and tender during the roasting process.

Q: How long should I marinate the pork for optimal flavor?

A: It is highly recommended to marinate the pork for at least 8 hours. Marinating overnight is the best, in my experience. This allows the sauce to penetrate deeply into the meat, creating a rich Char siu flavor.

Q: Can Char Siu be made in advance and reheated?

A: Absolutely! To reheat, warm it in the oven, covered with foil to retain the juiciness.

Let’s Cook Char Siu Pork!

As mentioned above, the method for making Char Siu Roast Pork is super easy! I think any beginner in the kitchen will find no difficulty in making this.

The versatility is just so abundant! Team it with steamed bun, make it into a sandwich, top it on your noodle, they are all so amazing!

If you tried this recipe and love it, please tag me on my Instagram or leave a comment below! I’d be so happy to reply.