Oven-Baked Char Siu Recipe (Chinese BBQ Pork)

ByWendie Williams Updated on
80 Comments

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This Chinese BBQ Pork is deliciously sticky with a sweet and salty flavor! Serve it as a main dish with white rice or as an appetizer.

Chinese bbq pork ribs on a cutting board sliced.

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BBQ Chinese Pork, otherwise known as Char siu, is out of this world! Popular amongst Chinese restaurants, this take-out dish is super easy to make at home. So moist and full of flavor! And any leftovers can be used in my Pork Fried Rice!

Why this Recipe Works

Sweet, savory, and perfectly caramelized The sticky glaze creates a rich balance of sweet and savory flavors with those irresistible caramelized edges.

Better than takeout You can make this classic restaurant favorite right at home with simple ingredients and even better flavor.

Super versatile Serve it over rice, in fried rice, noodles, buns, or sliced for an easy protein-packed dinner.

If you love a quick and easy pork recipe, try my Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin.

Ingredients Needed

All the ingredients needed for this recipe.
  • Pork-Boneless pork shoulder or pork butt works great for this.
  • Hoisin sauce- Don't leave this out, it adds an extra layer of delicious flavor.
  • Soy sauce- Dark soy sauce works best.
  • Garlic- Use fresh garlic; powder won't add the same flavor.
  • Red food coloring- Gives it that rich, dark red coloring you find in Chinese food.

How to Make Chinese BBQ Pork

Marinade mixed in a bowl and pork cut into slices on a cutting board.
  • Step 1: Add all the marinade ingredients to a small bowl and mix. Set aside some reserved marinade.
  • Step 2: Slice your pork roast into three even long strips.
Marinated pork in a bag. and placed on a baking rack.

Step 3: Add the pork pieces to the marinade, soak at least overnight, but I highly recommend two days.

Step 4: Place the pieces of pork on a cooling rack and on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Sliced chinese bbq pork on a baking sheet and marinade being brushed on top.
  • Step 5: Bake
  • Step 6: Brush on some thickened marinade and broil to get some char.
Chinese bbq pork on a cutting board cut into slices.

Recipe Tips

  • To get that dark red color in my marinade, the red food coloring adds that. It adds no taste to the pork, so you could leave it out if you want.
  • Marinating for two days is highly recommended, as it allows for the best flavor.
  • Broiling it in the oven gives it those crispy outer edges everybody loves.
  • Don't overcook it- You want the internal temperature of the pork to reach 145 degrees.
Chinese bbq pork on some white rive and broccoli.

Recipe FAQ's

What is Chinese BBQ Pork?

Chinese BBQ is a delicious, sweet, and spicy sauce, usually referred to as "Char Siu," that you soak the pork in, then fire-grill it or, in this case, bake it in the oven. It can be served in stir fry dishes, noodles, or just with a side of rice. One of my favorite ways to use the leftovers is in my Classic Pork Fried Rice.

Can I use a different cut of pork?

The best cut of meat for this recipe is a pork shoulder or pork Boston butt is the more cost-effective, meaning you get more bang for your buck. If you have trouble finding it or just don't feel like slicing it, boneless country-style pork ribs or pork belly will also work. You can also use a pork loin or pork tenderloin, but they are a much leaner cut, and this recipe turns out better with the more fatty cuts.

Can I freeze this recipe?

Yes, this freezes well. Wrap any leftover pieces in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. You can also freeze the leftover marinade that was reserved.

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Chinese bbq pork on some white rive and broccoli.

Oven Baked Chinese BBQ Pork

4.40 from 156 votes
Written By: Wendie Williams
This Chinese BBQ Pork is deliciously sticky with a sweet and salty flavor!
Prep Time 2 days
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 days 1 hour
Servings 8
Calories 663
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Ingredients
  

  • 3 lb boneless pork shoulder or butt
  • 1/2 cup Hoisin sauce
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup dry sherry
  • 4 tablespoons oyster sauce
  • 2 teaspoon Chinese five spice
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 1-2 teaspoons red food coloring optional
  • 2 teaspoon cornstarch

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Instructions
 

  • In a small bowl combine Hoisin sauce, brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, dry sherry, oyster sauce, five spice, garlic and red food coloring (optional)  and mix until combined.
  • Cut pork horizontally into three long flat pieces. Place in a container or ziplock bag, pour 1/2 the marinade over pork. Marinade 24-48 hours for optimal flavor.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil and place a cooling rack on top. Remove pork from the marinade and place on the rack. Bake for 25 minutes. Flip the pork and cook another 25 minutes.
  • While the pork is cooking, pour the reserved marinade into a saucepan and whisk in cornstarch, and bring to a low simmer for 10 minutes to thicken.
  • Remove pork from the oven and turn the oven to broil. Brush the pork with the thickened marinade and broil 5-6 minutes or until slightly charred. Turn the pork over and repeat. Pork temp should be 145-160 degrees.
  • Serve any extra sauce on the side, and green onions if desired.

Notes

To get that dark red color in my marinade, the red food coloring adds that. It adds no taste to the pork so you could leave it out if you want.
Marinating for two days, I highly recommend 2 days, it really allows for the best flavor.
Broiling it in the oven gives it those crispy outer edges everybody loves.
Don't overcook it- You want the internal temperature of the pork to reach 145 degrees.
Country-style pork ribs will also work.

 

Nutrition

Serving: 6ServingsCalories: 663kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 41gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 154mgSodium: 1294mgFiber: 1gSugar: 33g
Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a comment below or pin it to your Pinterest account!
Course Entrees
Cuisine Chinese

4.40 from 156 votes (145 ratings without comment)

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80 Comments

  1. This was incredibly delicious! Probably the best bbq pork that we've ever had. The best thing is we can now make it at home when we're craving it. Thank you so much!

  3. Wendy this can also be made with a pork loin. Trim off the fat,cut lengthwise in 2 or 3 pieces. You can buy the char sui marinate in powder form in most Asian markets, just mix with water, put meat in a ziplock bag pour in marinate, knead to get good coating . Marinate overnight bake . This is served as an appetizer in most Chinese restaurants in Seattle with hot mustard and catsup. Oh, slice it about a 1/8 of an inch thick and serve. Enjoy

  4. Yay Charles! I hope you love it 🙂 Although the marinade is safe to use as long as you bring it to a boil before using. I've made the adjustments to the recipe so there is enough marinade to reserve for basting without using it first as a marinade.

  5. about to put in the oven now, I as well held back some of the marinade liquid . I don't ever use the marinade after meat has been in it. I have a pork loin too and cut it length wise , marinade for 3 days for that extra flavor burst. Cant wait for the end result. So far it looks fantastic. Thank you for the recipe

  6. As long as you simmer the marinade for at least 20 minutes the marinade is fine to use as a basting sauce. But it sounds like you have enough marinade anyhow. Hope you enjoy linda! 🙂

  7. The "reserved marinade"....is this the marinade left-over in the bag/pan after the meat is done marinating? I took it to mean you saved some of the marinade from the original batch that did not get poured over the meat, but your instructions do not say this. I was always told you should not utilize marinade that has been covering raw meat. I could only find a 7lb pork butt, so I doubled the recipe anyway and had plenty of marinade to save and use for the baking portion. Just wanted some clarification. So far, this looks & smells amazing and I can't wait to bake it!

  8. I'm so glad you loved it Crissy! Its the only pork recipe I use for fried rice. Thanks for coming back here to share your review 🙂

  9. Amazing pork recipe! I used a pork loin, about 2 lbs, and marinated 48 hours! I cut it in half lengthwise, marinated, and cooked it about 25 minutes before broiling and mixed the 1 tsp cornstarch with 1 tbsp water for the thickened marinade. Absolutely perfect for fried rice!