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bowl of char siu pork tenderloin with bok choy
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5 from 2 votes

Char Sui Sauce

This gluten free Char Siu Sauce is sticky, sweet, savory, salty and of course, red. It’s finger licking good especially when used to marinade pork and slow cooked in the oven. This Chinese BBQ pork recipe is easy as it is delicious.
Prep Time8 hours
Cook Time30 minutes
Rest Time10 minutes
Total Time8 hours 40 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 93kcal
Author: Beth Chen

Ingredients

  • 2 1 pound Pork Tenderloins
  • 1 tablespoon Fish Sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Coconut Aminos or soy sauce if tolerated
  • 1/4 cup Honey plus 2 tablespoons divided
  • 1/4 cup Blackstrap Molasses
  • 2 tablespoons Tomato Paste use nomato sauce for AIP option
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese 5 Spice use 1 teaspoon Garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder, 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves and 1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger for AIP option
  • 1 teaspoon Red Food Coloring or 1 teaspoon Red Beet Powder

Instructions

  • In a small bowl add the fish sauce, coconut aminos (or soy sauce), 1/4 cup honey, molasses, tomato paste (or nomato sauce), salt, Chinese Five Spice (or spiced for AIP option) and red food coloring (or red beet powder) and stir until combined.
  • Place the pork in a medium baking dish, casserole pan or resealable plastic bag.
  • Pour the marinade over the pork. Cover the baking dish and set aside in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight.
  • After you’re done marinating the pork, pour the reserved marinade into a small saucepan and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of honey. Bring the sauce to a boil and simmer gently for a few minutes until the sauce is thick and syrupy. Use this sauce to baste the pork.
  • When you are ready to cook, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then place a wire rack over a large rimmed baking sheet and put the pork loins on the wire rack. Lastly half fill the baking sheet with boiling water. Take care not to overfill the baking sheet. The water should not touch the pork.
  • Place the pork in the oven and roast the pork for about 30 minutes, basting every 10 minutes.
  • After 30 minutes, turn the oven to broil on high heat for about 5 minutes. Baste the pork generously after about 2-3 minutes, making sure that it is browning nicely and doesn’t burn. Once the pork has caramelized nicely, remove the tray from the oven.
  • Let the pork rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.

Video

Notes

  • This Chinese BBQ sauce can be used on a variety of meats such as boneless spareribs or ribs in general, duck, chicken, and beef.
  • If you tolerate soy, you can use soy sauce instead of coconut aminos. And you can replace the molasses, apple cider vinegar and tomato paste with 1/4 cup hoisin sauce or oyster sauce.
  • To make this recipe AIP, substitute tomato paste for nomato sauce. And substitute the Chinese 5 spice powder for 1 teaspoon Garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder, 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves and 1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger.
  • You can line your baking sheet with aluminum foil for easier clean up.
  • Adding water to you baking sheet is optional but it helps to create a steam in the oven to cook the pork and to keep it moist.
  • Letting the pork rest after cooking allows the pork to continue cooking and the juices to absorb back into the pork which keeps it moist.
  • This recipe also works well with skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs.
  • This recipe also works well with pork ribs. Follow the instructions for this Instant Pot AIP BBQ Ribs but substitute the BBQ sauce for this recipe. You’ll need to thicken the leftover sauce as seen in step 6 of this recipe.
  • When finished, the tenderloin should be at an internal temperature between 145° F and 160° F, followed by a 10-minute rest. Since large cuts increase approximately 10° F.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 93kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 0.2mg | Sodium: 742mg | Potassium: 237mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg