Char Siu is the roasted Chinese pork we all know that is red on the outside (Cantonese, I believe). It’s found in pork fried rice and often a similar preparation is made for Chinese spare ribs.

With inspiration from my Chinese-American friend from Dallas (a helluva pit master), along with a little research, I took a stab at Char Siu.
This dish will have a recurring presence in my repertoire. It’s fantastic.

I cut a corner and used the sauce from the jar I found at my local Asian grocery store. It’s delicious although there are numerous recipes online to make the sauce from scratch. A very simple list of ingredients.
Also, typical meat used are boneless cuts of pork butt or pork tenderloin. I used boneless country style ribs because I had them in my freezer already.


I used this sauce:
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The key is to marinate the meat overnight. Mine marinated for close to 24 hours.

Looked like this when they hit the grill:
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Though typically roasted or grilled at approximately 375 degrees for 45 minutes, I smoked mine at 225 for 45 minutes and then 375 degrees for another 30-40 minutes. I brushed with sauce twice during the higher temp phase.
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Traditional preparation are slices roughly pencil width. Flavor is intense so thin slices are ideal for a good crust to meat ratio per bite.
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And leftovers are phenomenal!
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I haven’t tried spare ribs but from memory, I’d say the flavor profile is very similar if not the same. From my research and talking to my buddy, they all say that marinating is vital to the recipe.
For this dish, you’ll notice that most recipes say to roast or grill at 375 for 45 minutes either in the oven or over charcoal.
Using boneless pork butt or country style ribs yields a tender and juicy bite that falls somewhere between tenderloin and pork chop in tenderness. And it’s a fairly short cooking time.

Thank you.  Char Sue is one of my favorite flavors with pork...

Also, typical meat used are boneless cuts of pork butt = boneless country style ribs...

I have some of the dry mix packs, I may have to grab a few pork tenderloins next trip to gordons and give it a try. I have been sous vide cooking the tenderloins, I may marinade in a bag and then cook them in the marinade and then toss on the grill to finish. Thanks for the post.

Thanks for sharing Ralphie.  I can see referring back to this thread in my near future as a guide to a future cook.  Those country ribs look awesome!

Missed the Pork Fried Rice...that is the $15 kind!

Glad you liked the stuff in the jar. I tried it and thought it tasted nothing like the real stuff and did not care for it at all. I threw the jar out and went back to making my own. I've used several recipes, but this is the one I usually make:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRiJsTjJWbo&t=8s

I have no doubt the scratch sauce is better and suggested looking for one online.  Particularly a recipe including fermented bean curd (tofu), hoisin, and rose wine.  Great stuff and I admittedly took a shortcut with the jar.  But I really liked it.  However, I planned on using a scratch made Char Siu sauce to experiment with a rack of ribs. 

I am definitely making that one of these days!  What IT do you cook to?

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Good question. I didn’t check it. Just kinda knew it was done based on time cooked compared to the recipes I studied.  Also, each piece of meat was only about 1 inch thick in diameter so I knew it wouldn’t take long.

I made Char Siu for the first time just a few weeks ago. It was based on a recipe Susie at Hey Grille Hey linked on her website/FB page. It used about 3 pounds of boneless shoulder. Made the sauce from scratch - it wasn't that much of a challenge or time sink. The whole thing turned out great (which is handy since we'd invited guests for that dinner). We'll definitely be doing it again.

The youtube above surprised me at the color.  I guess I want that 1955 Peking Duck looking color.  The kind of color that looks so artificial that you know down the road they will say it is bad for you!  I always remember it from the pork we would get from the Chinese's restaurants in Fresno in the 60's.  Looked like red florescent ham.

Funny, I tried to find some pictures of what I was talking about and can't find a one (I guess you need to be over 55 to know what I am talking about), and maybe all that stuff did have Red Dye #5 in it!

The youtube above surprised me at the color.  I guess I want that 1955 Peking Duck looking color.  The kind of color that looks so artificial that you know down the road they will say it is bad for you!  I always remember it from the pork we would get from the Chinese's restaurants in Fresno in the 60's.  Looked like red florescent ham.

Funny, I tried to find some pictures of what I was talking about and can't find a one (I guess you need to be over 55 to know what I am talking about), and maybe all that stuff did have Red Dye #5 in it!

Yup. You need to add red dye if you want that bright red kind of color. A lot of folks use red bean curd, which adds a more subtle red to it.

try beet juice

try beet juice

That's a great idea.