SWEET AND STICKY CHAR SIU (CHINESE BBQ PORK)
Every time I look up a recipe for char siu, I used a different one every time, with different results every time. So I decided to actually spend the time and create one to my liking! I like my char siu very sweet and sticky and I don’t like using food coloring in my foods (because I don’t feel like it really adds anything to it except color) so I wanted to get the color as natural as possible by using red fermented bean curd and ta da! A recipe is born.
There’s a lot to cover for char siu this recipe, so let’s get started!
INGREDIENTS
For this Char Siu recipe, most of the ingredients can be found at your local grocery store, however red fermented tofu, Korean red pepper flakes may be harder to find and you may have to find them at an Asian grocery store but this ingredient is optional.
If you decide to use the optional ingredient, Korean red pepper flakes then the red will still be there and you will have a bit of a spiciness to it as well. (mild spicy) It will also give the char siu a earthier flavour. So if you don’t want this – skip it! 🙂
For the molasses, we used fancy/cooking molasses which is different from blackstrap molasses. Fancy molasses has a higher sugar content and blackstrap molasses is black in color and actually bitter.
Red Fermented Tofu & Substitutions
Traditionally, char siu is always red. I prefer not to use dye so I used red fermented tofu (aka red bean curd) for the color and the salt. The red fermented tofu also adds another dimension of flavour similar to what the cooking wine provides as well.
Red fermented tofu/red bean curd might be difficult to find if you do not have a local Asian grocery store nearby. You can substitute this with 3 tablespoons of oyster sauce OR 3-4 tablespoons of soy sauce. As always, substitution may not produce the exact flavour but it will be somewhat close. 🙂
In this recipe, the red fermented tofu (aka red bean curd) is used as a source of sodium and color, so if you substitute it out, you will lose a the red color that char siu is known for.
CUTS OF MEAT
Let’s talk meat.
The cut of pork you will make the char siu with will be a personal preference. I prefer a more fatty and juicy char siu so I went with a pork shoulder (you can also use pork butt as well). Some may prefer a more leaner char siu, for that I’d say use a pork tenderloin. The recipe here will be for a pork shoulder, so you may need to adjust how long you cook it for.
I highly suggest using a meat thermometer because it takes the guessing work out of cooking meat and that is a glorious thing. One less thing to worry about in the kitchen. I have eaten my fair share of raw chicken, and believe me, a meat thermometer is a very good investment in the kitchen if you cook a lot of meat. I prefer the digital ones, not because I’m fancy but because the digital ones use a long wire prong which I can leave in the meat in the BBQ/oven. This allows me to read the temperature without ever opening the oven or BBQ.
Cut the pork up in long thin chunks. It cooks faster, and you get more surface area for sauce. Mmmm! The sauce is the best part of this, you know it! 😛
Sweet and Sticky Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)
Description
If you love a juicy, sweet & sticky char siu (Chinese BBQ Pork), try this easy recipe! Delicious char siu is achievable at home in an oven or on a grill!
Marinade
2 tablespoons honey (or maltose or barley malt syrup or fancy molasses (not blackstrap molasses)
1-2 cubes red fermented tofu (and 4 teaspoons of the sauce, mashed together) – this is also known as red bean curd
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic (roughly chopped)
4 slices of ginger (roughly chopped)
2 teaspoons Chinese five spice powder
2 tablespoons Chinese rice cooking wine (or dry sherry)
(optional) 1 tablespoon Korean pepper flakes (for additional colour and a mild spiciness. It will also give it a more earthier flavour)
Meat
2-3 lbs pork shoulder (cut into long 3 inch thin strips)
Glaze
2 tablespoons honey
leftover marinade
Cutting and Marinating the Meat
Cut the pork shoulder into thin 3 inch thick strips. (Cooks faster and absorbs marinade more evenly)
Combine the ingredients in the marinade section into a ziplock or a big bowl and combine it with the pork.
Marinate it in the fridge for 24 hours.
Preparing the Glaze
Remove the meat from the marinade and let it sit for an hour in room temperature.
Reserve the marinade into a small bowl and remove the garlic bits and ginger
Add 2 tablespoons of honey into the marinade and mix well.
(Optional) If you don’t feel comfortable using the marinade that the meat was in, heat it in a small pot
for 2-3 minutes on low heat.
Set it aside for later, we will use this for glazing at the end of grilling
(Option 1) Grilling the Pork on the BBQ
Heat up BBQ to 325F (162C)
Cook the char siu for 15 mins on one side, then flip it for another 10 mins. Check the meat thermometer. Temperature should be around 145F (62C). If it’s not, keep the meat on longer until it reaches that internal temperature.
Once it hits an internal temperature of 145F (62C), we glazed 4-5 times, flipping the meat every minute to prevent burning
When the meat looks red, sticky and slightly burnt, remove it from the BBQ and let it rest for 20 mins on a plate before cutting into it.
Once the meat has rested, cut it up and enjoy!! 🙂
(Option 2) Cooking the Char Siu in the Oven
Set up the meat on the tray or roasting rack and use a rack so there is air flow below the meat. I like it line it with foil before setting down a rack for a easier clean up. If you don’t have a rack, you can take foil and crunch them up into foil balls and rest the meat on that.
Set the oven to 400F (204C) and cook it for 20 minutes a side for a total of 40 minutes.
For the last 20 minutes, flip and glaze the meat every 3-5 minutes until all the glaze is brushed on. Don’t worry if there are charred sections, it’s a trademark of char siu as well! 🙂
Once the meat is done, let it rest for 10-15 minutes, cut it up and enjoy! 🙂
Notes
Cutting the pork up in long thin chunks allows it to cooks faster, and you get more surface area for sauce.
The glaze is essentially made with the leftover marinade and additional honey. The additional honey will sweeten up the glaze and thicken it up to give us that nice sticky thick layer
Use fancy/cooking molasses and not blackstrap molasses as that is bitter.
Nutrition
Serving Size: 1 ServingCalories: 706 kcalSugar: 17 gSodium: 546 mgFat: 44 gCarbohydrates: 21 gProtein: 59 g
There’s a lot to cover for char siu this recipe, so let’s get started!
INGREDIENTS
For this Char Siu recipe, most of the ingredients can be found at your local grocery store, however red fermented tofu, Korean red pepper flakes may be harder to find and you may have to find them at an Asian grocery store but this ingredient is optional.
If you decide to use the optional ingredient, Korean red pepper flakes then the red will still be there and you will have a bit of a spiciness to it as well. (mild spicy) It will also give the char siu a earthier flavour. So if you don’t want this – skip it! 🙂
For the molasses, we used fancy/cooking molasses which is different from blackstrap molasses. Fancy molasses has a higher sugar content and blackstrap molasses is black in color and actually bitter.
Red Fermented Tofu & Substitutions
Traditionally, char siu is always red. I prefer not to use dye so I used red fermented tofu (aka red bean curd) for the color and the salt. The red fermented tofu also adds another dimension of flavour similar to what the cooking wine provides as well.
Red fermented tofu/red bean curd might be difficult to find if you do not have a local Asian grocery store nearby. You can substitute this with 3 tablespoons of oyster sauce OR 3-4 tablespoons of soy sauce. As always, substitution may not produce the exact flavour but it will be somewhat close. 🙂
In this recipe, the red fermented tofu (aka red bean curd) is used as a source of sodium and color, so if you substitute it out, you will lose a the red color that char siu is known for.
CUTS OF MEAT
Let’s talk meat.
The cut of pork you will make the char siu with will be a personal preference. I prefer a more fatty and juicy char siu so I went with a pork shoulder (you can also use pork butt as well). Some may prefer a more leaner char siu, for that I’d say use a pork tenderloin. The recipe here will be for a pork shoulder, so you may need to adjust how long you cook it for.
I highly suggest using a meat thermometer because it takes the guessing work out of cooking meat and that is a glorious thing. One less thing to worry about in the kitchen. I have eaten my fair share of raw chicken, and believe me, a meat thermometer is a very good investment in the kitchen if you cook a lot of meat. I prefer the digital ones, not because I’m fancy but because the digital ones use a long wire prong which I can leave in the meat in the BBQ/oven. This allows me to read the temperature without ever opening the oven or BBQ.
Cut the pork up in long thin chunks. It cooks faster, and you get more surface area for sauce. Mmmm! The sauce is the best part of this, you know it! 😛
Sweet and Sticky Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)
Description
If you love a juicy, sweet & sticky char siu (Chinese BBQ Pork), try this easy recipe! Delicious char siu is achievable at home in an oven or on a grill!
Ingredients
Marinade
2 tablespoons honey (or maltose or barley malt syrup or fancy molasses (not blackstrap molasses)
1-2 cubes red fermented tofu (and 4 teaspoons of the sauce, mashed together) – this is also known as red bean curd
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic (roughly chopped)
4 slices of ginger (roughly chopped)
2 teaspoons Chinese five spice powder
2 tablespoons Chinese rice cooking wine (or dry sherry)
(optional) 1 tablespoon Korean pepper flakes (for additional colour and a mild spiciness. It will also give it a more earthier flavour)
Meat
2-3 lbs pork shoulder (cut into long 3 inch thin strips)
Glaze
2 tablespoons honey
leftover marinade
Instructions
Cutting and Marinating the Meat
Cut the pork shoulder into thin 3 inch thick strips. (Cooks faster and absorbs marinade more evenly)
Combine the ingredients in the marinade section into a ziplock or a big bowl and combine it with the pork.
Marinate it in the fridge for 24 hours.
Preparing the Glaze
Remove the meat from the marinade and let it sit for an hour in room temperature.
Reserve the marinade into a small bowl and remove the garlic bits and ginger
Add 2 tablespoons of honey into the marinade and mix well.
(Optional) If you don’t feel comfortable using the marinade that the meat was in, heat it in a small pot
for 2-3 minutes on low heat.
Set it aside for later, we will use this for glazing at the end of grilling
(Option 1) Grilling the Pork on the BBQ
Heat up BBQ to 325F (162C)
Cook the char siu for 15 mins on one side, then flip it for another 10 mins. Check the meat thermometer. Temperature should be around 145F (62C). If it’s not, keep the meat on longer until it reaches that internal temperature.
Once it hits an internal temperature of 145F (62C), we glazed 4-5 times, flipping the meat every minute to prevent burning
When the meat looks red, sticky and slightly burnt, remove it from the BBQ and let it rest for 20 mins on a plate before cutting into it.
Once the meat has rested, cut it up and enjoy!! 🙂
(Option 2) Cooking the Char Siu in the Oven
Set up the meat on the tray or roasting rack and use a rack so there is air flow below the meat. I like it line it with foil before setting down a rack for a easier clean up. If you don’t have a rack, you can take foil and crunch them up into foil balls and rest the meat on that.
Set the oven to 400F (204C) and cook it for 20 minutes a side for a total of 40 minutes.
For the last 20 minutes, flip and glaze the meat every 3-5 minutes until all the glaze is brushed on. Don’t worry if there are charred sections, it’s a trademark of char siu as well! 🙂
Once the meat is done, let it rest for 10-15 minutes, cut it up and enjoy! 🙂
Notes
Cutting the pork up in long thin chunks allows it to cooks faster, and you get more surface area for sauce.
The glaze is essentially made with the leftover marinade and additional honey. The additional honey will sweeten up the glaze and thicken it up to give us that nice sticky thick layer
Use fancy/cooking molasses and not blackstrap molasses as that is bitter.
Nutrition
Serving Size: 1 ServingCalories: 706 kcalSugar: 17 gSodium: 546 mgFat: 44 gCarbohydrates: 21 gProtein: 59 g
