Chinese recipe

Cantonese char siu (barbecue pork)

Name: Cantonese char siu (barbecue pork)
Prep time: 8 h
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 8 h 50 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Chinese cuisine
Ingredients: 900 g boneless pork shoulder, cut into 5 cm-wide strips; 20 g (1 cube) red fermented bean curd; 45 g hoisin sauce; 30 g honey; 30 g maltose; 30 ml light soy sauce; 15 ml Shaoxing wine; 2 g Chinese five-spice powder; 15 g garlic, finely grated; 1 g white pepper; 5 ml sesame oil; 15 ml warm water for thinning glaze; 15 g honey for final glaze; 350 ml hot water for the roasting tray; 1 small sprig curly parsley, for serving

Tender pork shoulder marinated in fermented bean curd, soy, honey, and warm spices, then roasted until lacquered.

Guangdong, China

Prep: 8 hr
Cook: 50 min
Total: 8 hr 50 min
Servings: 6

Glossy sliced char siu on a white plate with a small parsley sprig — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by AljoneSource page · Original file · CC BY 2.0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

900 g
boneless pork shoulder, cut into 5 cm-wide strips
20 g (1 cube)
red fermented bean curd
45 g
hoisin sauce
30 g
honey
30 g
maltose
30 ml
light soy sauce
15 ml
Shaoxing wine
2 g
Chinese five-spice powder
15 g
garlic, finely grated
1 g
white pepper
5 ml
sesame oil
15 ml
warm water for thinning glaze
15 g
honey for final glaze
350 ml
hot water for the roasting tray
1 small sprig
curly parsley, for serving

Method

01
Mash fermented bean curd, hoisin, 30 g honey, maltose, soy, Shaoxing wine, five-spice, garlic, pepper, and sesame oil until smooth. Before the mixture touches raw pork, transfer exactly 30 ml to a clean covered bowl for basting and refrigerate it. Keep the final 15 g honey separate.
02
Coat the pork strips in the remaining marinade, cover, and refrigerate at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours; turn once halfway. Discard every drop of marinade that has touched the raw pork.
03
Set a rack over a foil-lined tray, pour 350 ml hot water into the tray below the rack, and heat the oven to 230°C. Arrange pork with space between the strips and roast for 15 minutes, until the edges begin to brown.
04
Whisk 15 ml warm water into the reserved clean 30 ml marinade. Lower the oven to 190°C, brush the pork with this mixture, and roast for 15 minutes more.
05
Brush with honey and roast at 220°C for 5–8 minutes, turning once, until the surface is mahogany and bubbling; the thickest center must reach at least 63°C (or 68°C for a firmer slice).
06
Rest the pork on the rack for 10 minutes so the juices settle. Slice across the grain into 5 mm pieces, brush lightly with the tray juices, and serve with the parsley sprig at the side.

Practical notes

Tips

Use a rack so rendered fat drips away instead of steaming the bottom.
Warm maltose briefly in hot water if it is too stiff to brush.

Common mistakes

A wet, crowded tray prevents browning; leave space and drain excess marinade.
Slicing immediately loses juices and makes the center dry.

Substitutions

maltose (30 g) → extra honey (30 g): Use a slightly lighter glaze and watch browning.
pork shoulder (900 g) → pork belly (900 g): Trim only the thickest fat and roast until 68°C.

Storage

Cool sliced pork within 2 hours, refrigerate airtight for up to 3 days, or freeze up to 2 months. Reheat covered at 160°C until warm, then uncover for 3 minutes to refresh the glaze.

Cultural context

Char siu is a Cantonese roast-meat tradition; the name means ‘fork-roasted,’ referring to strips traditionally suspended on forks in a hot oven. Red fermented bean curd supplies traditional color and savoriness.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.