Homemade Chinese Roasted BBQ Pork (Char Siu)

I’m so proud of myself.

All these years I’ve been hitting up Chinese delis for mediocre Chinese BBQ pork that’s been dyed a truly frightening shade of pink, or making due with tough and flavorless meat. All these years…and I could’ve been making it at home.

I was inspired by this recipe I found on the blog Appetite for China. The recipe seemed so easy. Too easy. But easy enough for me to try without fear of failure. At the very least it would be a nice slab of marinated pork belly to enjoy. I even made it gluten free by removing the hoisin sauce (which frankly I didn’t miss) and using gluten free soy sauce.

What I removed from the oven exceeded my wildest expectations. Roasted to perfection in such a short amount of time and with minimal effort. Heck, even with two little kids running around upstairs, I was able to pull out this juicy piece of meat and make it look like I slaved over it all day:

You have to try this recipe. Period.

2 lbs. whole pork belly, skin removed
4 Tbsp. Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
4 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
4 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. five-spice powder
2 Tbsp. honey

– In a large bowl, mix together the rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, and five-spice powder. Rub the pork belly with the marinade mixture and marinate for 2 to 3 hours, or preferably overnight, in the fridge.

– Preheat the oven to 325°F.

– Remove excess marinade and place the pork in a roasting pan. Brush the top with the honey. Roast the pork for about 25 minutes. Flip over the pork belly slab and brush the other side with honey. Roast for another 25 minutes. The pork is done when the outsides begin to crisp up, the edges blacken a bit, and the center of the pork belly strip feels firm. (160F internal temp)

– Remove the pork from oven and let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into thin slices or thicker chunks. Arrange the slices on a plate and serve.

This stuff is also great diced in fried rice, or served alongside some sauteed Chinese greens like baby bok choi.