Charcoal Grilled Char Siu BBQ Pork

Sticky, red, succulent is what comes to mind when I think about Chinese BBQ Pork. This is my weakness every time I go out for Chinese. I’ll even order to take extra home, well I used to until I delved into how it is made.

Now I’m only too happy to share my findings with you. Although there is some preparation time required, the end results will see you making more and more each time you make it.

In this recipe, I’ll guide you through what cuts of pork are best suited and why, and also get the correct ingredients to make authentic Char Siu Chinese BBQ Pork on a charcoal grill.

How to make Char Sui

We all think we are the best at cooking pork. In America, there are 400 years of history barbecuing pork ribs to whole hogs.

When you think about it we are still merely a teenager in BBQ years compared to China where we are talking thousands of years. They are definitely the Grand Daddy’s of BBQ and I think they know what they are doing.

Char siu is a Cantonese dish that translates to “fork roast”. Read on for detailed instructions or watch how to make Char Sui in the video below.

There is something magical about the deep charred mahogany sheen that Char Siu Pork has. It actually makes me hungry just thinking about it.

It was traditionally cooked over charcoal, so that’s how we will be preparing it today.

Now to make this authentic recipe, you will need to venture out to your nearest Chinese grocery store for some of the ingredients but trust me, it is going to be worth the trip.

There are a few cuts you can use to make Char Siu; Pork Collar Butt, Pork Scotch, even tenderloin, although the tenderloin tends to be a lot leaner, you are better to stick to the cuts that have a bit of fat in them.

This helps to keep the meat succulent, and adds flavor.

Items that will help with this cook:

• Kettle Grill that you can set up dual cooking zones (I’m using a 22” Weber Kettle)
• Lump charcoal or high heat briquettes (I’m using briquettes)
• Smoking wood (I’m using apple wood)
• An instant read thermometer (I’m using a ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE)
• Chopping board
• Boning or trimming knife

Prepping the pork correctly at the start is the key for maximum flavor

Start by cutting the pork into 1” thick strips. I’ve found this is the perfect size and most consistent especially when you go to any Chinese BBQ restaurant.

Remembering we are making authentic Char Siu, not as close as can be Char Siu.

Once you have sliced up all of the pork collar into 1” strips, place them into a bowl and cover until you are ready to marinade them.

Marinade your meat, it’s the best

I love nothing more than trying out new recipes, rubs, sauces, and marinades. So I made it a bit of a quest of mine to find out exactly what went into this sticky charred caramelized pork creation called Char Siu. 

Every time I eat it, I wish I had more, the flavor is just incredible.

So I took it upon myself to find recipe, after recipe, after recipe, and when I realized there were so many. I started excluding those that didn’t use traditional ingredients, like honey for sweetness. My aim was to create authentic perfection.

So we are talking about a few ingredients you may not have seen, heard of or even used before but they can all be found at any Chinese Supermarket.

I will note some alternative options further down, if you cannot find these ingredients but trust me, they are worth tracking down.

The ingredients all need to be placed in a bowl and mixed, for the most part, you are just measuring out quantities.

The garlic and ginger will need to be roughly chopped up into fine pieces.

The red fermented bean curd is a mixture of fermented red tofu and the red bean curd mixture they come in, these will be needed to get mixed into a paste and added with all the other ingredients.  

The red bean curd is what gives this recipe its characteristic red color and also adds to the flavor as well.

Once these are all mixed, pour the mixture over the pork and mix up and make sure all the pork is coated in the marinade, covered, and put back in the fridge for 24 hours.

Cooking over charcoal is the best way to get that great smoky flavor

I’m using a 22” Weber Kettle, so I’ll start off by lighting up a chimney of lump charcoal. Once this has fully ashed over I’ll place this on one side of the charcoal grate in a basket. 

Place a tray on the other side to help with cleaning up, this can get messy but it is so worth the trouble, trust me.

Put the cooking grate back in place and place one chunk of apple smoking wood directly over the lit charcoal and put the lid back on. I’ll be aiming to smoke around the 300°F to 320°F mark.

After the smoke has settled on the Weber, you should see just a faint blue smoke coming out of the lid vent, it’s time to put the marinated pork pieces on.

Take them out of the marinade but save the leftover marinade for basting the meat later.

Place the pork strips on the indirect cooking zone, away from the lit charcoal. Place the lid back on and make sure the lid vent is above the pork, this will draw the heat and smoke across the meat.

Now using the leftover marinade, put it in a small pot and add 2 tablespoons of Maltose to thicken up.

Light up another half chimney of lump charcoal now, as we’ll use this to sear the pork strips directly over the heat, while basting with the thickened marinade. This is going to give us that glossy, mahogany colored charred goodness that we love so much.

Keep an eye on the meat, you don’t want to overcook it and dry it out.

Cook it indirectly until the internal temp is 125°F. That’s when we want to add some more lump charcoal and then move the meat over the charcoal and cook until an internal temp of 145°F is reached. 

The entire time basting and constantly flipping.

Once the internal temp is reached, take off the heat and rest on a chopping board for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing into quarter-inch thick slices.

Serving suggestions

You can’t go wrong serving char sui with any rice dish. I’ll be pairing it with some chicken flavored jasmine rice.

I’m amazed at how many people I know that do not know how to cook rice properly. Then add to that, most who say rice is boring and bland, AAAARGH there’s that bland word again.

No food needs to be bland. 

Flavored jasmine rice

Firstly, rinse your rice under cold water. Next, place the rice in a pot and add some seasoning, today we are using chives, lemon zest and salt and pepper.

Then we are going to use some cold chicken stock, one and half times the amount of how much rice we put in, so for a cup of rice, put in one and a half cups of chicken stock.

Bring that to the boil quickly, then turn the heat down and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes.

I then usually garnish mine with some finely chopped chilli and scallions. Remembering, food shouldn’t be bland, including humble old rice.

Lemon Steamed Chinese Greens

Pak Choy, buk choy, sum choy and Chinese broccolini. Any of these are suitable and so easy to prepare.

If you cannot find any of the above, baby broccolini is more than a good substitute.

Trim off the end hard piece of stalk, then rinse under cold water and drain thoroughly.

In a steamer, add a cup of water and a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice and bring to the boil. 

Steam the greens for around 6 minutes, drain thoroughly and serve immediately.

Serving suggestions

This is one type of meat I could honestly eat on its own. The sticky glazed charred goodness really doesn’t need a lot to accompany it. It is definitely the hero on the plate and trying to outdo it would just be futile.

I tend to lay down a good serving of the chicken flavored jasmine rice, garnished with finely diced chili and thinly sliced scallions.

Then adding some lemon steamed Chinese greens and topped off with plenty of sliced up Char Siu. 

This is a meal I keep coming back to over and over again. So simple to look at, it takes some time to prepare but the end result is pure magic in your mouth.