Last Updated on May 20, 2020 by Chef Mireille
Char Sui – Chinese BBQ Pork is a classic Chinese dish that you can eat on its own or add to your fried rice or lo mein. If at no other time, you must make it for Chinese New Year!
Most people who eat fast food Chinese have had Char Sui Pork at one time or another. It’s the pork they use in Pork Fried Rice that accompanies almost every entree on the menu and in Lo Mein. So you ever wonder how they get that smoky, sweet flavor and bright color into the pork. Well today, I am going to show you how.
Most Chinese even usually purchase Char Sui. Very few people make it at home themselves. Everything tastes better when made at home, so you’ll do better than the Chinese even if you follow this delicious recipe.
Celebrate Chinese New Year with a traditional recipe!
Although the best way to make char sui is on a grill, if you don’t have one, this is the best alternative.
Chinese New Year Recipes
- Orange Chicken
- Chicken & Mushrooms in Black Bean Sauce
- Hong Kong Noodle Soup
- Nian Gao – Coconut Sticky Rice Cake
- Scallion Pancakes
- Hetaosu – Walnut Cookies
- Puteri Ayu – Steamed Pandan Cakes
- Kuih Dadar – Coconut Stuffed Pandan Crepes
- Chicken Curry Puffs
Char Sui – Chinese BBQ Pork
Ingredients
- 4 lbs. 11 oz. pork butt/pork shoulder
- 5 tablespoons barley malt syrup
- 5 tablespoons honey
- 5 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 5 tablespoons soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons Shaoxing cooking wine
- 3 tablespoons black vinegar
- 8 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 tablespoon 5 spice powder
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- red food coloring
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients except the pork and the food coloring in a saucepan. Heat for 1-2 minutes until everything is melted and you have a smooth sauce.
- Remove most of the top layer of fat from the pork. Pierce the pork all over with a fork. Season gently with a little salt. Place the pork in a bowl.
- Pour 1 cup of the sauce over the pork and rotate the pork a few times so that it is well coated on all sides with the sauce. Cover and put in the refrigerator overnight. Reserve the rest of the sauce for cooking the next day.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Shake off the excess sauce. Place pork on a rack in a roasting pan lined with aluminum foil.
- Add several generous pinches of liquid red food coloring to the reserved sauce.
- Roast for 2 1/2 – 3 hours, until internal temperature is 140 F. Baste it every 1/2 hour with the reserved sauce.
- Let it rest for at least 15 minutes. Slice and brush with the remaining sauce. Smoky, sweet and luxurious!
- Serve with rice, noodles or steamed vegetables.
This reminds of the BBQ Port I get at dim sum! So exited to try this dish, YUM!
yes this is basically the homemade version of the pork used in pork fried rice, lo mein and other pork dishes at Chinese restaurants.
Oh man these ribs look sticky and delicious!! I have never thought about making Chinese ribs at home. Can’t wait to try.
these actually aren’t ribs – it’s pork butt
I’ve been wanting to learn to make something just like this- along with pork belly! Can’t wait to give it a try- it definitely sounds amazing!
Great – I am sure you are going to love this when you try it!
Yes, now I can make my own at home! Thank you for this recipe.
Sure you are going to love the home made version way better!