Char Siu | Our 50 year old family recipe! | The Woks of Life

Bill learned to make char siu, or Chinese BBQ Pork, from his father, a Chinese chef. He used a closely guarded recipe of Chinese sauces, lots of garlic, and spices to make his classic char siu. Since posting this recipe in 2014, this has consistently been a top recipe, and countless readers have made it. Watch Bill make it from start to finish, and give it a try yourself!

While we first posted this recipe on The Woks of Life years ago (February 2014 to be exact), we’ve re-tested and made a few tweaks to the recipe that I’m sure he’d approve of! Also scroll down for a new recipe video!
Full Char Siu recipe HERE! https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-bbq-pork-cha-siu/

Other recipe links:
BBQ Char Siu on the grill: https://thewoksoflife.com/bbq-char-siu-grill/
Air Fryer Char Siu: https://thewoksoflife.com/air-fryer-char-siu/
Char Siu CHICKEN: https://thewoksoflife.com/char-siu-chicken/
Char Siu RIBS: https://thewoksoflife.com/oven-baked-ribs-char-siu/
Pork Fried Rice: https://thewoksoflife.com/classic-pork-fried-rice/
Pork Lo Mein: https://thewoksoflife.com/pork-lo-mein/
Roast Pork with Mixed Vegetables: https://thewoksoflife.com/roast-pork-chinese-vegetables/
Steamed BBQ Pork Buns (Char Siu Bao): https://thewoksoflife.com/steamed-bbq-pork-buns-char-siu-bao/
Baked BBQ Pork Buns: https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-bbq-pork-buns-cha-siu-bao/

0:00 Intro
0:43 Oven? Air fryer? Grill?
1:00 Best cut of meat for Char Siu
1:50 Overview of recipe steps (overnight marinade!)
2:25 Can I freeze char siu? (Yes!)
2:40 Recipes that use Char Siu
2:58 Char Siu Marinade
3:15 The key ingredient!
5:07 Cut the pork into pieces
7:39 Marinade the pork
9:07 Roast the Char Siu
10:10 Roasting times and temperatures
12:10 Beauty shots & plating
13:50 Taste test!

Thanks for watching!
- Bill, Judy, Sarah, and Kaitlin ❤️👨‍👩‍👧‍👧

Editor: Ian Holden

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Music: epidemicsound.com

About The Woks of Life:
Since its founding in 2013, The Woks of Life has become the #1 online resource for approachable, creative, authentic Chinese recipes in English. Through their popular recipe site and diverse social media community, Bill, Judy, Sarah and Kaitlin Leung share inspiring recipes and their family’s culinary genealogy with millions of home cooks. With the debut of their highly-acclaimed, New York Times bestselling cookbook The Woks of Life: Recipes to Know and Love from a Chinese American Family in 2022, the family has served up even more of their sought-after recipes and culinary stories to hungry fans and new audiences. The Leungs have been featured in numerous press outlets, including Magnolia Network’s Family Dinner with Andrew Zimmern, Food Network’s Family Meal, as well as Bon Appetit, Good Morning America, NPR, The New York Times, and many more.