Easy Instant Pot Char Siu Recipe | All Ways Delicious (2024)

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Instant Pot Char Siu makes it possible to make this Chinese BBQ Pork in a fraction of the time of the classic recipe. The meat is perfect for eating on its own with rice or Mantou steamed buns or in Char Siu Bao, Pork Fried Rice, or Singapore Noodles.

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Char siu (also called Cha Siu or Char Siew) is a staple of Cantonese cuisine and is ubiquitous in the Chinese BBQ shops in Chinatown.

You’ll see this type of Chinese barbecue pork—bright red and glistening with fatty goodness—hanging in shop windows. With its bright red color, you can’t miss it.

Good Char siu or Chinese roast pork is succulent, tender, sweet, and savory. It offers the perfect balance of salty and sweet flavors with succulent tender meat.

Why should you make char siu in an instant pot?

This Instant Pot Char Siu recipe uses a combination of the pressure cooker and oven to make the pork tender and give it that trademark sticky-sweet glaze.

An electric pressure cooker can produce perfect char siu in much less time than the traditional cooking method of roasting it in the oven.

Using the pressure cooker is also a great plan when it’s hot outside and you don’t want to heat up your kitchen.

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What makes Chinese BBQ pork red?

Traditionally, the red color of the pork comes from red fermented bean curd or tofu, but many contemporary cooks use red food coloring.

You can also use beet juice, or even cherry juice for coloring.

Note that the pork in the photos was cooked with red food colouring. If you use fermented bean curd, you will get more of a reddish-brown color.

You likely wouldn’t be able to taste the difference between using the fermented tofu and the food coloring, so I usually opt for the latter. The recipe only requires a few drops and the food coloring is easier to keep on hand.

If you want to use the fermented red bean curd, it is available in jars and you can find it in a Chinese grocery store or Asian market or order it online.

What ingredients do you need?

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How to make Instant pot char siu pork

Thischar siu recipe is easy to make. Most of the time required is just marinatingtime.

  1. Mix up the marinade ingredients (or use char siu sauce) and marinate the pork, ideally overnight.
  2. Pressure cook the pork using the reserved marinade as the liquid until it is tender. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can braise the meat on the stovetop.
  3. Brush a soy-sauce-and-honey glaze on the pork and bake it in the oven, or cook it on a grill, until the glaze is sticky and blackened in places.
  4. Serve immediately or refrigerate for later use.
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What is char siu sauce?

Char siu sauce is a sweet, savory sauce. It’s basically a Cantonese barbecue sauce made of hoisin sauce, honey, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine (or another cooking wine), five-spice powder, and often molasses, maltose, or brown sugar. Marinate the pork in this mixture to infuse it with flavor.

You can make your own char siu sauce from scratch, or you can buy char siu sauce in jars in an Asian market or online.

What cut of pork is best for making char siu?

The best cut of pork for making Char Siu is boneless pork shoulder or pork butt or (these are actually just two different names for the same cut of meat!). This cut has the perfect ratio of fat to lean for a succulent char siu.

You can use fatty cuts like pork belly, too, but I think the proportion of fat to lean meat is too high. The result is that you lose a lot of volume in cooking as the fat renders. The end product may also just be too fatty.

You can also use pork tenderloin, which is considerably leaner than pork butt. Personally, I find this cut a bit too lean. It is easy to overcook it, drying it out. Because it has so much less fat, you don’t get the delectable crispy edges that you get with a fattier cut of meat.

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How to serve this chinese bbq pork

For a simple meal, serve this char siu pork sliced over steamed white rice with or without extra sauce. Add a side of stir-fried or steamed vegetables to make it a meal. I like Chinese Dry Fried Green Beans, broccoli, gai lan (Chinese broccoli), or bok choy.

You can also use this char siu recipe to fill Chinese BBQ pork steamed buns, or Char Siu Bao. Serve them as part of a dim sum feast including Har Gow and other dumplings.

It’s also perfect for tossing with stir-fried noodles, Singapore Noodles, or Pork Fried Rice.

If you’re in the mood for a different sort of meaty goodness, you have to try this super delicious Smoked Meatloaf or Air Fryer Pork Belly. Or try this Slow Cooker Pork Loin or slow cooker pork chops with cream of mushroom soup.

more chinese recipes you’ll love

  • Mongolian Chicken
  • Crispy Chilli Beef
  • Char Siu
  • Char Siu Bao
  • Salt and Pepper Chicken
  • Har Gow Chinese Shrimp Dumplings
  • Singapore Noodles
  • Sesame Noodles
  • Pork Fried Rice
  • Szechuan Shrimp
  • Hoisin Spare Ribs
  • Chinese Dry Fried Green Beans
  • Vegetarian Dan Dan Noodles
  • Sesame Chicken
  • Kung Pao Chicken
  • Fried Wontons
  • Sweet and Sour Tofu
  • Mantou Chinese Steamed Buns

Easy Instant Pot Char Siu Recipe | All Ways Delicious (6)

Char Siu or Chinese BBQ / Roast Pork

Robin Donovan

Serve this sweet, succulent pork thinly sliced over white rice or use it to fill steamed buns or make pork fried rice.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Additional Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 55 minutes mins

Course Instant Pot Recipes

Cuisine Chinese

Ingredients

For the pork

  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • ¼ cup Shiaoxing wine or use sake, dry sherry, or dry white wine
  • ¼ cup hoisin sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 3 cubes red fermented tofu mashed, plus 2 tablespoons of the liquid from the jar (optional, see note)
  • ¾ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
  • 2 ½ pounds boneless pork butt

For the glaze

  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • ¼ cup honey

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, combine the honey, soy sauce, wine, hoisin sauce,
    sesame oil, garlic, fermented tofu, if using, and five-spice and stir to mix.

  • Add the pork and turn a few times to coat all sides well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.

  • Pour the marinade into the Instant Pot and then put the trivet in. Place the pork on top of the trivet.

  • Close the pot and turn the valve to the sealing position. Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes.

  • Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then quick release the remaining pressure.

  • Remove the pork from the pressure cooker.

  • Preheat the oven to 450ºF.

  • Cover a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a rack on top. Put the pork on top of the rack.

  • To make the glaze, in a small bowl, stir together the soy
    sauce and honey. Brush the mixture on the pork.

  • Cook the pork in the oven for 6 to 8 minutes. Turn the pork over, brush more of the glaze on it, and cook for another 4 minutes or so.

  • Remove from the oven and let stand for a few minutes before slicing.

Video

Notes

If you don’t want to use fermented tofu, you can color the marinade with a few drops of red gel food coloring. Or you can try using other more natural coloring methods like adding cherry or beet juice.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Easy Instant Pot Char Siu Recipe | All Ways Delicious (7)
Easy Instant Pot Char Siu Recipe | All Ways Delicious (2024)

FAQs

What makes char siu so red? ›

The red color of char siu traditionally comes from red fermented bean curd, or lam yuh. It doesn't give a very bright, vibrant red, but more of a natural redwood-looking hue. To get a very vibrant red color, most Chinese BBQ stalls add red food coloring.

What is the difference between char siu and roast pork? ›

Pork is literally just “the meat of a pig” in the most general sense. Char siu is the anglicized rendering of the name of a Cantonese style of roasted pork (usually belly, back, loin, or neck), flavored with Chinese 5 spice and glazed with honey and red rice yeast that produces a rich, red color.

What makes char siu pork pink? ›

Red food colouring – to make the pork red, like you get at the Chinese barbecue shop. This is optional. Authentic Char Siu uses red bean curd for colouring and a touch of flavour – it can be found at Asian stores, use about 2 tbsp of the liquid and no red food colouring.

Can you buy char siu marinade? ›

Lee Kum Kee Chinese Essential Marinade & Dipping Sauce Kit - Char Siu Sauce 397g (Set of 3)

What is the best cut of meat for char siu? ›

Char Siu Ingredients

Soy sauce, honey, ketchup, and brown sugar create the base of the luscious marinade, while hoisin sauce and red bean curd add depth. Juicy pork tenderloin is the main event of this 5-star recipe. Choose two 1 lb. tenderloins for best results, substituting pork loin or pork chops if necessary.

What is char siu seasoning? ›

Signature to char siu is a deep, uniquely sweet-savory-spiced flavor, which is a result of char siu sauce – a marinade typically made with Chinese five spice, soy sauce &/or hoisin sauce, & a sweetener like honey or maltose.

How do Chinese restaurants make pork so tender? ›

In Chinese cooking, proteins like beef, pork or chicken are velveted first before stir-frying them. There are several ways to velvet, but at its most basic level, it involves marinating meat with at least one ingredient that will make it alkaline. This is what tenderizes the meat, especially cheaper, tougher cuts.

What should I serve with char siu pork? ›

This Char Siu Pork recipe from 2014 Masterchef winner Ping Coombes is a Chinatown favourite. Traditionally, this dish would be served up sliced over rice with a side of steamed greens, but you can also serve with noodles or in steamed buns.

What is the difference between char siu and siu yuk? ›

Char siu is barbecued roast pork, whereas siu yuk is roasted crispy pork belly. Not only do they use different parts of the pig — my dad likes to use pork butt for char siu and pork belly for siu yuk — but they're also prepared differently and have varying flavor profiles and textures.

What is the difference between Chinese and Japanese char siu? ›

Chinese Cha siu is cooked in an oven, but Japanese style is cooked in liquid. Maybe, this is because ovens aren't traditional kitchen equipment in japan. Maybe there is a different name of this dish in China, but this is what we call Chashu in Japan like you see it on Ramen shops.

How do Chinese restaurants get their pork red? ›

The red hue on the pork comes from the sticky, crave-able barbecue sauce in which it's marinaded before roasting. Often, this deep crimson hue comes from a combination of Hoisin sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, and fermented red bean curd (aka fermented tofu, bean cheese, or tofu cheese).

Is hoisin sauce the same as char siu sauce? ›

No they are not the same. Hoisin sauce is made from fermented soybeans mixed with garlic, chilli, sesame, Chinese spices and vinegar. Char siu sauce is a condiment made from hoisin sauce, sugar, Chinese five spice powder, Chinese cooking wine, soy sauce, garlic and often also food colouring.

What can I use instead of molasses in char siu? ›

Molasses or Honey: the molasses provides a deeper and richer color and flavor to the pork that sticks better than honey. However, if you do not have molasses at home honey works as well. Red Fermented Tofu or Red Bean curd: Red bean curd is the source of sodium and red color in the char siu.

What are the ingredients in Lee Kum Kee char siu? ›

Sugar, Water, Salt, Fermented Soybean Paste (Water, Salt, Soybeans, Wheat Flour), Honey, Soy Sauce (Water, Salt, Soybeans, Wheat, Colour (150a), High Fructose Corn Syrup), Malt Syrup (Rice, Malted Barley), Modified Corn Starch (1422), Dehydrated Garlic, Spices, Acidity Regulator (260), Colour (129).

What makes Chinese ribs so red? ›

The characteristic red hue of char siu comes from red food coloring, which you can add to the marinade if you'd like, but I prefer to go au natural. It's plenty pretty on its own. Hoisin sauce—a fermented soy bean-based sweet and savory barbecue sauce—is the primary flavoring agent in the marinade.

What is the red dye on Chinese pork? ›

Think of a French wine based stew, but instead of a bottle of Burgundy, the meat is braised in a deeply savory, umami rich mix of soy sauce, shaoxing wine, cinnamon sticks, and star anise. The bath in soy sauce gives the meat a deep red color.

What makes meat red in Chinese food? ›

The red-cooking technique involves cooking ingredients – pork and other meats, chicken, tofu, eggs and vegetables – in light and dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, and spices, such as star anise and Sichuan peppercorns, resulting in a red-brown colour and a unique rich, caramelised flavour.

Why is my pork so red? ›

There are numerous factors that affect persistent pinkness; however, most often the culprits are a higher than normal muscle pH and myoglobin predominately in the deoxymyoglobin form. Pork with a pH 6.3 or higher almost always results in pink coloration even at well-done temperature.

References

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