Better-Than-Takeout Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)
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You know what I love most about BBQ pork? The fact that it is surprisingly easy to make at home! With this Better-Than-Takeout Char Siu (also known as Xá Xíu in Vietnamese), you can roast up beautifully sweet, sticky, and incredibly juicy pork right in your own oven.
While you can certainly buy pre-made seasoning packets from the store (check out my Easy 3-Ingredient Char Siu recipe if you are in a rush!), making your marinade from scratch is the absolute best way to guarantee a mouth-watering, restaurant-quality result using ingredients you can easily find at your local grocery store.
Your biggest challenge with this recipe? Finding the patience to let it marinate! Give it at least 4 to 6 hours (or overnight) to absorb all those complex aromatic flavours. Once roasted, this versatile pork is the ultimate protein to pair with plain jasmine rice, stuff into baked BBQ Pork Buns, or slice over a steaming bowl of Wonton Noodle Soup!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Restaurant Quality at Home: We skip the jarred sauces and build a complex, sweet, and savoury marinade using everyday pantry staples like five-spice, hoisin, and oyster sauce.
- The Ultimate Glaze: Instead of throwing the excess marinade away, we boil it down on the stove into a thick, glossy syrup to baste the meat and use as a dipping sauce!
- Highly Versatile: Make a large batch on Sunday and use the leftover pork all week long in stir-fries, noodle bowls, and sub sandwiches!
Ingredients You Will Need
Head to your pantry and your local grocery store to gather these flavourful, accessible marinade staples!
For the Meat:
- Pork: 2 ½ pounds of pork tenderloin (usually about 2 whole loins). Ensure the tough, silvery skin is removed. Alternatively, use Pork Shoulder cut into a 10-inch log with a 2.5-inch diameter.
For the Aromatics & Spices:
- The Base: 1 cup diced onion (about 1 large) and 1 ½ Tablespoons minced garlic (about 5 cloves).
- The Spice: 1 ½ Tablespoons ground Chinese five-spice powder.
For the Sweet & Savoury Sauce:
- The Sweetness: ¾ cup packed brown sugar and ¼ cup honey.
- The Savoury Umami: ⅓ cup soy sauce, ½ cup hoisin sauce, and ¼ cup oyster sauce.
- The Liquid: ⅛ cup (2 Tablespoons) rice cooking wine.
- The Signature Colour: 1 teaspoon of red liquid food colouring. (Optional, but highly recommended to give it that classic takeout look!)
How to Make From-Scratch Char Siu
Phase 1: Prep and Marinate
- Prep the Meat: Use a sharp knife to carefully remove the thin, shiny silver skin from the outside of the pork tenderloins (if present). Rinse the pork under cold water and pat it completely dry with paper towels.
- Mix the Marinade: In a large bowl, whisk together the diced onion, minced garlic, brown sugar, five-spice, soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin, honey, rice cooking wine, and red food colouring.
- Coat and Chill: Pour the marinade over the pork. With food-safe gloves on, rub the mixture evenly over the meat. Cover tightly with plastic wrap (or transfer to a large zip-top bag) and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours (overnight is best!).
Phase 2: Roast and Reduce
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (204°C).
- Line a roasting pan with foil and place a wire roasting rack inside. Place the marinated tenderloins on the rack, spaced about 2 inches apart. Do not throw away the excess marinade left in the bowl!
- Roast the pork on the middle oven rack for 10 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 300°F (148°C) and continue to roast for 15 to 20 minutes. The internal temperature should be 155°F (68°C). (If it reads less, roast for 5 to 10 more minutes and check again).
- Boil the Glaze: While the meat roasts, pour the leftover marinade into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring continuously. Cook for 15 minutes or until the marinade is reduced by half and becomes a thickened, glossy glaze. Brush this sauce over the pork half-way through roasting.
- Remove from the oven and let the meat rest for exactly 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm with the extra cooked marinade as a dipping sauce!
💡Pro Tips for the Best BBQ Pork
- Why is Char Siu red? In Asian cultures, red is an auspicious colour representing luck and vitality. Traditionally, the deep red colour came from hard-to-find ingredients like red fermented bean curd. To make this recipe completely accessible for the home cook, we use a few drops of red food colouring to give the meat that appetizing, signature crimson takeout glow!
- Pick Your Perfect Cut: Pork tenderloin is a lean cut and a fantastic choice for a quick weeknight dinner. However, if you prefer a richer, fattier, more melt-in-your-mouth texture, you can absolutely substitute the tenderloin with thick strips of pork shoulder (pork butt) or skinless pork belly!
Complete the Takeout Feast
If you’re looking to turn this juicy, sweet BBQ pork into a ‘take-out’ meal, try to pair it with a steaming bowl of Jasmine rice and bok choy, or use the extra meat and turn it into another meal:
- BBQ Pork Buns: Chop up your leftover sweet and sticky pork to use as the ultimate savoury filling for these soft, bakery-style milk bread buns!
- Authentic Wonton Noodle Soup: Lay thick slices of your homemade BBQ pork over a steaming, savoury bowl of wonton soup for a classic restaurant-quality dinner.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Char Siu mean?
The literal Cantonese translation of Char Siu means “fork roast.” Traditionally, the pork is skewered on long multi-pronged forks and roasted over an open fire!
Can I grill this on the barbecue instead of roasting it?
Yes! Because of the high sugar content in the marinade, you must use indirect heat so the outside doesn’t burn before the inside cooks. Grill the pork over indirect heat for 20 to 30 minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of 155°F (68°C). Finally, move the meat over direct heat for the last 3 to 5 minutes to get a beautiful char!
What is rice cooking wine used for?
Used widely in Asian dishes, rice cooking wine is made from fermented glutinous rice. It acts as a salted alcohol that deeply enhances the aromas and flavours of the food. If you do not have rice cooking wine, Mirin is a fantastic substitute (just keep in mind that Mirin is slightly sweeter).
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Better-Than-Takeout Char Siu
Ingredients
- 2½ pounds pork tenderloin (2 loins) silver skin removed (if needed)
- 1 cup onion (1 large) diced
- 1 ½ Tablespoons garlic (about 5 cloves) minced
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 ½ Tablespoons ground five-spice
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup oyster sauce
- ½ cup hoisin sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon red liquid food colouring
- ⅛ cup rice cooking wine (2 Tablespoons)
Method
- Trim and dry: Carefully remove the tough silver skin from the outside of the pork tenderloins (if necessary). Rinse the pork under cold water and pat it completely dry with paper towels.
- Coat the meat: In a large bowl, mix together the onion, garlic, brown sugar, five-spice, soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin, honey, food colouring, and rice wine. Pour the marinade over the pork and rub evenly to coat. Cover tightly (or place in a zip-top bag) and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours (overnight is best).
- Bake the pork: Preheat your oven to 400°F (204°C). Place the tenderloins on a wire rack set inside a foil-lined roasting pan, spaced 2 inches apart. Reserve the excess marinade! Roast on the middle oven rack for 10 minutes.
- Thicken the sauce: While the pork roasts, pour the leftover marinade into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring continuously. Cook for 15 minutes or until the marinade is reduced by half and thickened. Set aside.
- Glaze and temp check: Reduce the oven temperature to 300℉ (148℃) Remove the pan from the oven. Brush the cooked marinade over the tenderloins, flip the meat over, and brush the other side. Roast for another 15 to 20 minutes until a meat thermometer reads 155°F (68°C). (If under temp, roast 5-10 mins more). Rest the meat on a cutting board for 5 minutes before slicing into it.
