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Sticky Chinese Barbecue Pork Belly (Char Siu) is one of the most iconic dishes in Cantonese cuisine — sweet, sticky, and impossibly juicy.
My addiction to Char Siu started years ago, and it was love at first bite. The glossy glaze, the caramelized edges, the bold flavor… I’ve been chasing it ever since.
Now, it’s your turn.
Why This Pork Slaps (Hard)
This pork doesn’t just taste good — it hits. The marinade is bold and sticky, the glaze caramelizes in all the right places, and every bite melts with flavor.
Love that glossy, sweet-salty vibe? Try it with our Easy Honey Garlic Chicken.
More into slow-cooked and crispy? You’ll want our Crispy Pork Carnitas too.
Just an oven, a good cut of pork, and a little patience — that’s all it takes.
Every Ingredient Pulls Its Weight
This isn’t your average pork marinade. Sweet, salty, sticky, and spiced just right — each ingredient brings the flavor punch. Don’t skip a thing (especially that hoisin).
- Hoisin Sauce: Thick, sweet, and salty — it’s the soul of that sticky glaze.
- Shaoxing Wine: Adds depth and that authentic Chinese restaurant flavor.
- Red Food Coloring: Just a drop gives you that signature crimson glow.
- Five Spice Powder: Warm, fragrant, and a little mysterious — don’t skip it.
- Garlic & Brown Sugar: Sweet heat and umami magic in every bite.
Note: See the Recipe Card for a full list of ingredients.
How To Make It Happen
This marinade is the real deal — bold, balanced, and addictive. Here’s the step-by-step to create it.
- Make the Marinade. Whisk together hoisin sauce, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, honey, brown sugar, garlic, red food coloring (if using), and five-spice powder. It should smell amazing already.
- Marinate the Pork. Place the pork belly in a bowl or ziplock bag. Pour in the marinade (save a bit for later), coat well, and let it rest in the fridge for 1–3 hours, or overnight if you want the real magic.
- Roast + Baste. Preheat the oven to 350°F | 176°C on grill/broil setting. Place the pork on a foil-lined tray. Roast for 30 minutes, flipping halfway and brushing with the reserved marinade every 10 minutes until glossy and caramelized.
- Simmer the Glaze. Want extra sauce? Simmer the reserved marinade in a small saucepan for 5–8 minutes until thickened and glossy. Keep an eye on it — it goes from perfect to burnt fast.
- Slice It Up. Let the pork rest slightly, then slice into thick, juicy pieces. The edges should be sticky, the center tender, and the color? Char Siu red perfection.
- Enjoy! Serve over fluffy white rice, noodles, or eat it straight off the cutting board. Just try not to lick your fingers (or do — we won’t judge).
Need a Side? We’ve Got You.
This Char Siu brings the bold, sticky flavor — now all it needs is the perfect crew to go with it. Try it with our Fried Rice with Bacon for a salty, crispy sidekick that soaks up every drop of glaze. Add depth with Roasted Mushrooms (Balsamic Soy) — earthy, juicy, and packed with umami. Craving more? The Sesame Beef Stir Fry brings the crunch and stir-fry energy your plate’s been missing.
Or keep it classic with steamed jasmine rice or a side of simple noodles — because sometimes, less is more.
FAQs
Yes, babe. It brings the sweet-savory depth that makes Char Siu taste like… well, Char Siu. If you’re in a pinch, you can mix soy sauce with honey and a splash of vinegar, but the flavor won’t hit quite the same.
Totally. Pork shoulder is leaner but still flavorful. Just keep an eye on the cook time — it might need a few extra minutes to get that perfect caramelized finish.
You can — just make sure your oven’s nice and hot to get that sticky char. A quick broil at the end helps caramelize the glaze to perfection.
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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.
Hello Miss Karina
I wanted to thank you so much for your amazing recipe. My boys bug me very often for these delicious pork belly’s. Who can blame them?
Trying this recipe now. 2 things I could use clarification on.
When you say rotate you mean flip over, right?
Second. Most home broilers don’t have temperature settings. Would you recommend baking then broiling to finish or broiling on the lower rack and testing often, possible coveting with foil to prevent burning the glaze?
Looking forward to it!
Hi Tim! Yes, flip them over (sorry about the confusion!) and if you don’t have a temperature control on your broiler, bake them first on the middle rack at 400F (200C) for about 15 minutes, then broil in the last 5 minutes. Hope this helps! Please let me know how you go!
Very helpful, because my broiler doesn’t have a temp gauge. It’s just damn hot (500F).
Thank you!
This is a fantastic recipe that was a hit with the family. Was looking for a recipe for Chinese BBQ Pork to add to a noodle dish. Normally we buy it already prepared and it is terribly fatty. Your recipe was the best substitute. Used a pork fillet with no fat. The taste was perfect. Thank you!!
It’s supposed be fatty! That’s like saying it’s a delicious steak, but we are vegan so we subbed the meat with cauliflower.
Wow, Roger! Thank God you came here to tell everyone how they should like their food — three years late, I might add. Stop being a jerk. I can’t believe you wasted your time to post this in an attempt to shame a stranger for thinking differently than you. I’m sorry your life sucks.
My, oh, my! Tried my hand at pork for the first time…and was it gorrrrrrgeous! This recipe is just delicious!!! Thank you so much for sharing. Loved it. Definitely goes into my fav recipe notes. I marinated the pork belly for 24 hours, then we missed out on cooking it and it stayed marinated for 72 hours! Cooked beautifully and was just divine! ❤️
Hi karina! This looks so good. My oven does not have broiler capabilities, so should I bake it at a higher temperature or will that really effect the flavor? I have a small toaster oven but the temperature is always weird when I try to bake with it. If I broil it at the end will I be able to get that yummy texture? Thank you!!!
Hey this recipe sounds awesome! So I have a few questions if using pork belly since this is my first time.
I went with boneless to make it easier and there is skin one side. So I just want to know is there a way to prep the skin before marinating and cooking the pork belly? Also should I remove the skin after cooking the pork belly?
I haven’t cooked with pork belly yet so I’m not sure what would work best for this recipe.
Why do you discard the marinade? Surely this could be used as additional sauce (if cooked) or basting sauxe?
I believe it is because it was used to marinate raw meat.
If you put too much of the sauce in the oven, it will probably burn and smoke!
However, you can’t eat it without cooking it since it’s touched raw meat.
I think it’s just a safety precaution
If you are slow cooking a larger piece of pork you can keep the marinade with it. Just check every so often and adjust temperature and/or mix a splash of water into the sauce to prevent burning.
If you cook it/bring it to a boil, you’ll kill any bacteria, so either in a saucepan or on the pork itself in the over and it would be fine. I personally would use it to baste the meat while it’s under fire.
is there anything i can use in place of hoisin sauce and the Chinese 5 spice of can you buy these items at the local grocery store?
Some recipes don’t use hoisin sauce and use oyster sauce instead. The five-spice powder is crucial to the Char Siu flavor though. I don’t think it’s char siu without five-spice.
You can get the Chinease 5 spice from Amazon. I am not sure, but I bet Amaxon has the Hoisin sauce too.
The five spice powder is mostly used for the traditional; Chinese roast pork but not so much for the Char Siu Pork but there are many different recipes that are being used for Char Siu Pork so I guess some recipes might call for it.
You can buy Hoisin sauce and five spice at sprouts farmers market
Super happy with this recipe! It was a winner! I had enough leftover to go with my tonkotsu ramen the next day 🤗
I used pork belly instead. I had used the pork belly – paraboiled it to make a Vietnamese soup dish, and used the meat to make the char siu. Super happy with the flavor!!
You nailed it! I added gochujang sauce and shallots for a kick and a twist! It’s heavenly!!! This beats out anything you could find in the stores!!!!! Thank you for starting me off in the right direction !!!!!
This was so, so yummy everyone loved it so now a favourite thank you for sharing
Could you please clarify for me whether or not to slice the pork belly before cooking or cook it in one whole slab? I have read through all of the comments and in one reply it stayed to cook it whole or it would dry out, but in another reply it said to slice it first. Also, if we slice it first, to what thickness should we make the slices? Thank you.
Don’t slice. Grill in whole pieces. You slice after it’s cooked.
I just made this tonight and I decided to slice it first to get a good crisp on all edges… turned out amazing