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! And 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:
Sticky Chinese BBQ Pork Belly Ribs (Char Siu)
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup hoisin sauce
- ⅓ 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
- ¾ teaspoon red food colouring optional for that beautiful red colour
- ½ teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
- 6 pork belly spare ribs about 2.2 pounds or 1kg
- 1 shallot to garnish
Additional Glaze (Optional):
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese wine Shaoxing – or dry sherry
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
- ¼ 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
Matt says
If you’re going to do Step 4, don’t discard the used marinade – put it in the pan with the fresh stuff.
As you’re boiling it for several minutes, any harmful bacteria from the raw meat will be destroyed.
It’s no different from the marinade that is still clinging to the pork when you put it in the oven – cooking it makes it safe, and this way you get extra glaze/dipping sauce.
Bob says
Well, tried a few recipes in my time, this is far the tastiest and so easy to make. Thanks
Don says
You’ve recommended to cook whole then slice at end. Also recommended to slice first then cook for deeper flavor. Hmmm
Rosh says
The pork was super delicious. I used pork spare ribs. Will definitely use this recipe again. Many thanks for sharing.
Sascha says
Hi there, I have done this recipe several times and my girl says it is perfect! So much better than local oriental or takeaway so thank you for sharing great recipe.
I am doing again today but my pork belly strips still half frozen. I marinated anyway and will leave marinated on counter until defrosted fully, then another 4 hours or so in fridge, as to clean up before cooking.
Do you think the pork will absorb some of marinade when still partially frozen?
Doreen Brownlie says
Hello Karina, I would love to know if you keep the skin on the pork belly.
Marie says
Absolutely gorgeous flavour! Would definitely do again. My only issue is cook time – took so much longer so I will adapt that when I do this again which I am already planning on. We don’t have “broilers” as such in the Southern Hemisphere so those instructions made it a bit tricky despite doing research. I’ve made a few of your recipes and have always been happy with the result so thank you!
Thom Hjorth says
Hello! Thank you so much for this beautiful recipe! I’ve just made them and the results were spectacular!!! I’m in food heaven right now 🙂
Paula says
This is extremely delicious! Thank you for posting!
Beka says
Absolutely amazing. I did mine in my air fryer basting at 5 and 10 minutes. Cooked for about 16 minutes and turned out amazing. I just used the marinade for the glaze. I put it in a saucepan on low heat and let it boil and simmer until it was thick and yummy.
Thank you for the recipe 🙂