Char Siu Pork Chops Recipe

Char Siu is Chinese BBQ. Pork Roast or Belly is often used, and these cuts are marinated overnight in a sweet and savory sauce giving it a distinct red color and a ton of flavor. And for this recipe, I’m taking that idea and making Char Siu Pork Chops.

For this recipe I’m using pork chops but you could use just about any cut of pork. Pork steaks would be really good cooked this exact way.

I combine fresh ingredients garlic, shallot, and ginger with Soy Sauce, Hoisin Sauce (Chinese bbq sauce, Rice Wine Vinegar, sugar, and honey to create the flavor and a little Red Food coloring to give it that Char Siu color.

In traditional Char Siu red beet powder is often used and you can substitute it for the red food coloring if you can find in. My local grocery didn’t have any so I went with the red food color.

Once the marinade is combined, reserve a little for the glaze and pour the remaining over the chops. Refrigerate the chops for 12 hours so the marinade has plenty of time to penetrate the meat.

To cook the chops fire up a drum smoker or other bbq grill set up for indirect cooking at 325 degrees. Take the chops out of the marinade while the smoker is coming up to temperature to allow the excess marinade time to drain off.

Place each chop on the smoker and cook for 15 minutes then flip. Use the reserved marinade combined with 1/2 cup of warm honey to glaze the chops as you flip them.

Repeat this glazing process every 5-10 minutes until the chops reach 150-155 internal and a slight char is formed on the outside.

Serve the chops over steamed rice along with your grilled or stir-fried vegetables and you have a delicious quick and easy meal.