Easily recognized by its distinctive red color and famous for it’s sweet and salty flavor with a hint of spice, char siu pork, also known as Chinese BBQ pork, is a much-loved dish that’s easier to make than you might think! Trust me, the hardest part about this recipe is waiting for it to roast in the oven!
Even though it’s called Chinese BBQ pork, you don’t actually need a barbecue for this Chinese pork recipe. It’s all made in your oven, and the oh-so-tasty caramelization comes from spending a few minutes under the broiler.
This recipe is a labor of love. For best results, start it the day before so that the pork has plenty of time to sit and absorb all the amazing flavors in the marinade.
Once it’s in the oven, you’ll need to baste it a few times, so don’t just set-it-and-forget-it. The results are so worth it! Tender pork, a rich sweet/salty/spicy glaze, and plenty of flavor through and through makes this much-loved char siu pork recipe a favorite all over the world.
This is one of those Chinese recipes that’s truly better when made at home. Grab your ingredients and let’s get cooking!
INGREDIENTS
- 1kg of Pork shoulder
- 1 Garlic head
- 1 thumb sized piece of Ginger
- 1 Onion
- 2 tbsp of Sake or Shaoxing wine
- 3 tbsp of Soy sauce
- 4 tbsp of Hoisin sauce
- Some Five spices mix
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 150°C (or 300°F).
- Rub the Five spices mix onto the Pork to cover it all.
- Slice the onions in two, separate the garlic cloves out of the garlic head and slice the ginger into 2mm thick slices.
- Add all the ingredients in a Dutch oven pot, cover and put in the oven.
- Cook it covered for three hours, turning the shoulder every hour.
- Remove the meat from the sauce and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
- During this time, blend the remaining sauce with the baked garlic, ginger and onion. You can then reduce the sauce to your desired consistency.
- Finally shred the pork, and add it back into the sauce.
Enjoy 😉