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Sticky Chinese Barbecue Pork Belly (Char Siu), is one of the most popular pork dishes in Chinese/Cantonese cuisine and one of the most ordered dishes in restaurants.
My addiction to this Sticky Chinese Barbecue Pork Belly is my husbands fault. Being a former Hong Kong resident, he introduced me to Char Siu when we first met…and it was love at first bite (with the pork). Normally, our New Years Eve ritual consists of going to a popular Yum Cha restaurant here in Melbourne and ordering serve after serve of Char Siu. But as life happens, this year it’s a no-go. Booked out so early, (or I may have left it last minute), I now have to bring Char Siu into my house. Char Siu literally means “fork burn/roast” which is a reference to the traditional preparation, skewered with long forks and barbecued over a fire.
Well, I have neither of those things, nor do I want to start a fire in my house. But I have come up with a way to make this safely in your own homes without the need of any fire extinguishers.
The plus side is: A) We can eat triple what we normally do; and B) I can share the recipe with you.
Breaking out into a sweat with a furrowed brow, throwing ingredients into a bowl and taste testing along the way to try and match the traditional and authentic restaurant quality Char Siu sauce, I finally did it. It was a definite Hallelujah and Amen moment. After one (okay, more like four) tests and adjustments, you can bring a deliciously sticky Chinese pork recipe into your kitchens!
You can use lean pork belly (or spare) ribs for a succulent, unforgettable experience; pork shoulder or any pork fillet you like. I’m not going to tell you what to do, except cook it using pork belly, though you could try our Slow Cooker Barbecue Ribs if you have a spare rack.
For extra sauciness, I’ve provided an additional glaze recipe on the side for those who’d like to serve this up with extra sauce.
Oven grilling or broiling ensures the crispy and char-grilled outer edges we love so much, and a tender, juicy pork meat on the inside.
With simple ingredients you may have in your kitchen cupboards, this Char Siu recipe is a breeze! And so worth the wait hanging off of the oven door, smelling the sweet, sticky smells drifting through the kitchen.
Serve over steamed rice or vegetables, and drizzle with extra Char Siu sauce…ring in the new year in style! Easy Honey Garlic Pork Chops only take 20 minutes! If you’re not a fan of pork, try this with chicken thighs. Yes. I did that too. Or this Simple Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry might win you over.
Need more homemade Chinese? Give these a crack:
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Sticky Chinese BBQ Pork Belly Ribs (Char Siu)
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Chinese Shaoxing wine rice vinegar or a dry sherry can be used instead
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 3/4 teaspoon red food colouring optional for that beautiful red colour
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
- 6 pork belly spare ribs about 2.2 pounds or 1kg
- 1 shallot to garnish
Additional Glaze (Optional):
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese wine Shaoxing – or dry sherry
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
- 1/4 teaspoon red food colouring
Instructions
- Combine hoisin sauce, soy sauce, wine, honey, sugar, garlic, colouring (if using) and spice powder in a shallow bowl. Whisk well to combine. Pour half of the sauce into a jug and reserve for later. Add the pork into the bowl with the remaining sauce. Rotate to cover completely and marinate in the refrigerator for 1-3 hours, or cover and refrigerate overnight for best results.
- After marinading, preheat oven to grill/broil settings on medium heat (176°C | 350°F). Drain pork and discard the marinade. Line a baking pan with baking/parchment paper or aluminium foil. Place pork onto pan and grill/broil for 30 minutes on one side, basting two or three times with the reserved marinade. Rotate with tongs and baste again with the marinade twice again while grilling/broiling.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- If you like additional glaze, combine all of the (extra) glaze ingredients into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 5-8 minutes until the sauce has thickened (keep your eye on it as it can burn easily if the heat is too high). Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Cut pork into thick slices to serve. Serve over steamed rice and/or vegetables with the extra glaze.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this dish and it was delicious! I like to use a pork loin then slice thinly. It taste just like in the restaurants, thank you…my family loves it, especially with fried rice. To keep it from sticking I use non-stick foil.
Hi Karina, I just tried this recipe yesterday. Followed the recipe with the exception of the oven broiling. Instead I did this on my gas grill to eliminate any mess in the oven. I used the main burners on a low heat and used the rotisserie burner to try to simulate the broil. The pork belly slices were place on parchment paper on a grill pan. I believe the results were very similar to the oven broiling technique as they looked just like your pictures. and tasted incredible…melt in your mouth good. This is an excellent dish and I’ll most definitely be cooking it again. Thanks so much.
R
Absolutely loved the sauce! Next time, I will try spare or baby back ribs, the pork belly from Costco was very fatty and made this too rich to eat very much of it. Thank you, Karina!
CanI make this using baby back ribs
Yes Howard! Perfect.
I used a punch that I bought online to put little holes into the skin the second time I made this. The first time was really good but with the holes the crackling ‘bubbled’ just as in many restaurants. Now to try it with other sauces, maybe a buffalo one.
Hi!!
I am trying this recipe for the 1st time and have some questions:
1) I already marinated the pork belly. Is it better to slice it now before I broil it?
2) Since I am using a convection oven, are the broil settings different?
It is best to cook it all together and cut it into the thin strips at the very end. If not, it will harden and dry quicker in the oven. Everything should be the same temperature as I have listed and you should be good to go!! Enjoy!!
I don’t know about everyone else but my broil settings only let you broil at 450 F or higher. So do I bake at 350F and then switch to broil towards the end to get it charred? Broil at 450 for less time?
Oh NO! I am so sorry hun! It shouldn’t have done that. Grill or broil for 30 minutes at 350*. Hope that helps! I wish it didn’t end up like that for you!
I made this with pork belly! It was delicious! Not dry at all! Thank you!
MMM! That sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing!
I have the same quesiton as Matt – When broiling, where do you put the rack, Middle? top? I would be afraid of burning if it’s on the top!
I put it on the middle rack when broiling. Hope that helps!
Do you use light or dark soy sauce?
Hi Tommy-Lee. I use regular soy sauce in this recipe. Light will also work.