Char Siu Pork

Char siu pork is one of those timeless dishes found on Chinese takeout menus. But there’s no need to get takeout when you can cook Chinese food recipes at home!

Restaurant char siu pork is usually roasted and sliced, but our version uses a slow cooker. We slow-cook a pork shoulder with homemade char siu sauce and shred it like pulled pork. It’s wonderfully moist, delicious and quite simple to make.

What is char siu pork?

Char siu pork is a Cantonese barbecue pork dish. The name “char siu” means “fork roasted,” referring to an old-fashioned way of skewering pork on long forks to hold it over a fire or in an oven. As with other barbecue dishes, the exact recipe varies from one chef to another. Most recipes contain Chinese five-spice powder, brown sugar or honey, and Asian sauces like hoisin and soy sauce.

Ingredients for Char Siu Pork

• Boneless pork shoulder butt roast: Look for a 3- to 4-pound roast that will fit in your slow cooker. If you can’t find one large enough, use two smaller pork shoulders that add up to 4 pounds.
• Honey: Honey adds a delicious sweetness that balances out the salty, tangy elements in the marinade.
• Hoisin sauce: Hoisin sauce is a salty, sweet-and-tangy sauce that adds loads of character to the marinade.
• Soy sauce: Soy sauce adds a salty, umami taste to the marinade.
• Ketchup: Ketchup adds a hint of sweetness, red color and a slightly tomatoey element to the dish.
• Garlic and ginger: These ingredients add fragrance, flavor and a touch of spicy heat to the marinade. If you end up with leftover ginger, freeze it with the skin on. Keep it in a freezer bag and grate it from frozen into fresh ginger recipes.
• Chinese five-spice powder: Chinese five spice is a wonderful seasoning that contains aniseed, fennel seed, cinnamon, cloves and pepper.
• Chicken broth: Chicken broth is added to the cooking liquid, providing much-needed moisture that keeps the shredded pork from drying out.
• Fresh cilantro: Cilantro is used as a garnish for slow-cooker char siu pork. If you don’t care for cilantro, omit it or swap in fresh parsley.

Directions 

Step 1: Marinate the pork

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Combine the honey, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic, ginger and five-spice powder. Pour the mixture into a large shallow dish. Add the pork and turn it to coat all sides. Refrigerate the marinated pork, covered, overnight.

Step 2: Cook the pork

Transfer the pork and marinade to a 4-quart slow cooker. Cook the pork, covered, for five to six hours on low or until it’s tender.

Step 3: Shred the pork

Remove the pork from the slow cooker. When it’s cool enough to handle, shred the meat using two forks. Skim the fat from the cooking juices, then stir in the chicken broth. Return the pork to the slow cooker and heat it through. Top with fresh cilantro.

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Recipe Variations

• Use leftover pork:  If you have leftover pulled pork or smoked pork butt, use the leftovers to make a quick version of shredded char siu pork. Make the marinade as directed and toss it with the shredded pork. Marinate the pork for a few hours in the refrigerator. Heat the pork in a slow cooker or saucepan until it’s warmed through.
• Add rice wine: To give the marinade a unique twist, add up to 1/4 cup of Chinese rice wine. When shopping for rice wine, look for a version without added salt. Apple cider vinegar is another option that works well.
• Add brown sugar: Brown sugar is a common ingredient in many barbecue sauce recipes. It adds a nice sweetness and earthy, molasses flavor to char siu pork. Add it to the marinade in addition to (or instead of) the honey.

How to Store Char Siu Pork

Let the pork cool slightly, then transfer it to an airtight container. Add some of the cooking liquid to the container to keep the pork from drying out. Store leftover char siu pork in the refrigerator for up to four days. The leftover pork tastes great on Asian pulled pork sandwiches, in stir-fry rice bowls or in Korean pulled pork tacos.

Can you freeze char siu pork?

You can freeze char siu pork for up to three months, so it’s a great dish to make ahead and freeze for another time. Place the cooled char siu pork in a freezer-safe container. Freezer-safe bags are a great option because you can freeze them flat so they’ll stack easily. To use the frozen char siu pork, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. Warm it in a skillet over medium heat on the stovetop.

Char Siu Pork Tips

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Why isn’t my char siu pork bright red?

This slow-cooker char siu pork recipe doesn’t turn out bright red because we don’t use food coloring. Traditional char siu pork gets its deep color from red fermented bean curd, but most modern recipes use red food coloring. Feel free to add a few drops to the marinade to create a brighter red color.

Can I use this char siu marinade on chicken?

This char siu marinade recipe works well for pork, chicken or beef. The marinade is basically a different version of a barbecue sauce with flavors based on Cantonese recipes. Marinate shredded or cubed chicken, such as leftover bits of rotisserie chicken, in a fresh batch of char siu sauce for several hours. Warm the meat in a saucepan, and enjoy the chicken served over rice or in buns.