Char Siu Pork

Char Siu Pork is easy to make to perfection for a crowd pleasing appetizer or weeknight star. The marinade serves as basting liquid and crispy glaze.

Char Siu Pork has long been a favorite in my family. We loved ordering it whenever we visited The Pagoda in Salt Lake, a restaurant that closed years ago but left a lasting impression. I still remember the tender pork and glossy glaze, packed with spices I couldn’t name as a kid but always craved.

Now I know that signature flavor comes from Chinese Five Spice. The blend of star anise, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, ginger, and fennel creates that unmistakable sweet, tangy, aromatic taste. I finally decided to bring Char Siu Pork into my own kitchen so we could enjoy it anytime, no restaurant required.

Why You’ll Love This Char Siu Pork

• Bold, classic char siu flavor – Sweet, savory, and aromatic thanks to Chinese Five Spice and a sticky glaze.

• Perfect for parties or dinner – Slice it thin for an appetizer or serve it as a main with rice or salad.

• Make-ahead friendly – Marinate up to three days in advance for deeper flavor and easy prep.

• No red food coloring – All the flavor and shine without unnecessary additives.

• Easy cooking method – Roast, baste, broil, and slice for tender pork with a caramelized finish.

What’s In Char Siu Pork?-

Chinese Five Spice, sugar, and black pepper: The combination of these spices is the center of the experience that is uniquely Char Siu. These spices give heat, sweetness, and tang that’s unlike any other recipe.

Honey, soy sauce, Hoisin sauce, ketchup, and sesame oil: The “liquid” for the marinate helps to ensure the spices stick to the pork and add yet another layer of delicious Asian flavor.

Serrano Pepper: The serrano pepper in my recipe doesn’t add heat but adds an earthy flavor. If you want a lot of heat to your Char Siu Pork, you can dice up the serrano so it stays on the finished dish.

The marinade drives all the flavor in this Char Siu Pork. Chinese Five Spice is easy to find in most grocery stores, though you can make your own if you prefer. After testing different ratios of heat, sweetness, and stickiness, this version earned a permanent place in our rotation.

How do you make Char Siu Pork-

First all the marinade ingredients simmer just until everything’s incorporated. The serrano pepper is in the mixture to add some flavor but not much heat. You could slice the serrano into the mix if you want heat. You just finished with the hardest part of the recipe.

After the marinade is cooked and then cooled, place a 1-pound pork tenderloin into a zip lock bag with all the marinade, including the pepper, even if you didn’t cut it up. This sits in your fridge for up to 3 days, and I recommend waiting at least 24 hours. At this point, the tenderloin can also be frozen up to 3 months.

Once you’re ready to bake the tenderloin, reserve some of the marinade to baste the pork during cooking.

Tenderloins cook to perfection in no time and this Char Siu Pork is done quickly, even with basting and end-of-cooking broiling time. Serve hot or room temperature with some classic Hot Chinese Mustard (recipe included). This Cucumber Sesame Salad also works great with the pork.

Final Notes: Some people don’t care for the hint of licorice that star anise is known for and the marinade will highlight this flavor UNTIL you begin cooking the pork. I promise that the finished product is perfectly tasty and the anise is muted to a just-right but familiar char siu flavor.

A meat thermometer (instant read is best) is essential for this recipe to avoid under or over-cooked tenderloin.

Finally, the tenderloins can be substituted with a small pork butt or shoulder roast. After refrigeration, slow-roast in a low (325F) oven or on low in a slow cooker, adding half the reserved marinade at the beginning and the remainder during last hour, cooking meat until it easily pulls apart. Shred and serve over rice or on buns with sliced red onions for a delicious Asian pork sandwich.

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5 from 3 votes

Char Siu Pork

The pork should marinate for at least 24 hours or up to 3 days. You can also combine the pork and marinade, refrigerate it overnight and then freeze to use within 3 months.

Course Appetizer or Main Dish

Cuisine Chinese

Prep Time 1 day day 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 day day 40 minutes minutes

Servings 8 people

Calories 302

Author Good Dinner Mom

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients 

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For the marinade

• 1 Tbsp Chinese Five-Spice Blend
• 1 ½ Tbsp granulated sugar
• 3 Tbsps honey
• 3 Tbsps Hoisin sauce
• 3 Tbsps soy sauce
• 2 Tbsps mild olive oil
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil or olive oil
• 1 Tbsp ketchup
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 fresh Serrano pepper left whole

Pork tenderloin

• 2- 1 pound pork tenderloins

Hot Chinese Mustard, if using

• 2 tbsps mustard powder or ground mustard seed
• water as needed

Char Siu Garnish

• 1 tbsp Sesame seeds optional

Instructions

Make the marinade

• For the marinade, place Chinese five-spice blend, sugar, honey, Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, olive oil, sesame oil, ketchup, black pepper, and Serrano pepper in a medium saucepan and bring to simmer for about 2 minutes. Let the Serrano pepper simmer in the liquid and kind of shrivel up. This will not add heat. If you want heat, dice up the Serrano before adding to liquid. Set marinade aside to cool.
  1 Tbsp Chinese Five-Spice Blend, 1 ½ Tbsp granulated sugar, 3 Tbsps honey, 3 Tbsps Hoisin sauce, 3 Tbsps soy sauce, 2 Tbsps mild olive oil, 1 Tbsp sesame oil, 1 Tbsp ketchup, 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, 1 fresh Serrano pepper

Marinade the pork

• Once marinade is cooled to room temperature, place the pork and marinade in a resealable gallon-size plastic bag. Seal the bag, pushing out as much air as possible and massage to distribute the marinade all over the tenderloins. Refrigerate overnight or up to 3 days (24 to 48 hours is ideal).
  2- 1 pound pork tenderloins
• Remove pork from refrigerator and bring to room temperature.

Roast the pork tenderloins and reserve marinade

• Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Transfer the pork from plastic bag to baking sheet and then pour the marinade into a small bowl.
• Roast the pork for 25 minutes or until its internal temperature reaches 145 - 160F degrees, basting pork generously with reserved marinade every 10 minutes (This step creates the nice thick, tasty, glaze).

Finish pork to add a nice char and finish the glaze

• After removing pork from the oven, switch the oven to broil. Broil pork until meat is charred and the glaze is caramelized, about 5 minutes.
• For a really nice, thick glaze, add about 1 Tablespoon honey to whatever marinade is left just before turning oven to broil (you should still have about ¼ cup of marinade). Then dab more glaze on the pork just before placing in under the broiler. This step is optional but highly recommended.

Slice and serve Char Siu Pork

• Allow pork to rest 10 minutes before slicing thinly.
• Sprinkle sesame seeds over sliced pork and serve with hot chinese mustard (recipe to follow).
  1 tbsp Sesame seeds

For the Hot Chinese Mustard Recipe:

• In a small bowl, add mustard powder or ground mustard seed. Add water until desired consistency is reached. This mustard is quite pungent (yum!) and if you want to tone down the heat, just add more water.
  2 tbsps mustard powder or ground mustard seed, water

Notes

Notes & Tips

• Marinate for best flavor: While 24 hours is ideal, marinating up to 3 days deepens the flavor and improves tenderness.
• Don’t worry about star anise: The licorice note mellows during cooking and balances beautifully in the finished char siu pork.
• Use a thermometer: Pork tenderloin cooks quickly. An instant-read thermometer helps prevent overcooking.
• Glaze matters: Basting during roasting and broiling creates the signature sticky, caramelized finish.
• Serving ideas: Slice thin for an appetizer with hot Chinese mustard or serve as a main with rice or crisp cucumber salad.
• Entertaining tip: This pork can be served warm or at room temperature, making it ideal for parties.

Nutrition Facts

Char Siu Pork

Amount Per Serving

Calories 302 Calories from Fat 99

% Daily Value*

Fat 11g17%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Cholesterol 110mg37%

Sodium 579mg25%

Potassium 695mg20%

Carbohydrates 12g4%

Sugar 10g11%

Protein 36g72%

Vitamin A 10IU0%

Calcium 13mg1%

Iron 1.9mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.