Char Siu-Inspired Grilled Pizza Recipe
About This Char Siu-Inspired Grilled Pork Pizza
What It Is: A Chinese-inspired grilled pizza topped with saucy diced pork loin, mozzarella, shallots, Parmigiano Reggiano and fresh scallions.
Inspiration: Cantonese char siu (叉烧), particularly its sweet and savoury Chinese barbecue flavour profile. This is not a traditional char siu recipe.
Servings: 4
Cooking Method: The pork is skillet-seared and butter-basted before the pizza is cooked directly on a griddle or outdoor grill.
The Sauce: Hoisin, honey, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, toasted sesame oil, garlic and Chinese five spice.
Flavour & Texture: Sweet, savoury and aromatic pork over melted cheese and lightly charred, chewy grilled pizza dough.
Do I Need an Outdoor Grill? Nope. I use a griddle. An outdoor grill works too.
After making my BBQ Chicken Grilled Pizza, of course I had to mess around with another version. This time I went Chinese, or at least Chinese-inspired. I made a quick sauce with hoisin, honey, oyster sauce, light soy, Shaoxing wine, toasted sesame oil and my homemade Chinese five spice, then paired it with pork loin seasoned with @VinceHomeMade Dad's BBQ Spice Mix.
The pork gets seared hard in cast iron, basted with spiced butter, diced and tossed through some of that reduced sauce before going onto the pizza. Sweet, savoury, slightly smoky and ridiculously fragrant.
The obvious inspiration here is char siu, 叉烧, the Cantonese style of roasted pork traditionally associated with siu mei. Char siu gets its characteristic sweet and savoury flavour from a seasoned glaze, with recipes varying from cook to cook.
But let's get something straight: this isn't traditional char siu. I'm using pork loin, cooking it in a skillet, throwing it onto grilled pizza dough with mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano and calling it dinner. What I wanted was the familiar direction of those Chinese barbecue flavours rather than an attempt to recreate the actual dish. Hence: char siu-inspired.
And that's also why I don't want you drowning the pizza in sauce. There's already sauce coating the pork, and grilled pizza needs a little restraint or everything gets heavy and soggy very quickly.
Spread a thin layer, add some mozzarella, shallots and pork, grate over some Parmigiano, cover and let the griddle do its thing. Fresh scallions go on after cooking. If my BBQ Chicken Grilled Pizza is the American-ish sibling, consider this the Chinese-ish troublemaker in the family.
Give both a try and decide which direction you prefer—or take the method and come up with your own damn version.
Ingredients:
(Serve 4)
Sauce:
Hoisin Sauce, 2 TBSP
Pure Honey, 1 TBSP Adjust To Preference
Oyster Sauce, 1 TBSP
Light Soy Sauce, 1 TBSP
Shaoxing / Hua Tiew Wine, 1 TBSP
Toasted Sesame Oil, 1 TBSP
Garlic Powder, Pinch
Chinese 5 Spice Homemade, Pinch
White Pepper, Pinch
Pizza:
Pork Loin, About 400g
Sea Salt, Pinch
Rapeseed / Sunflower / Canola / Peanut Oil, 2 TBSP
Unsalted Butter, 2 TBSP
Grilled Pizza Dough Homemade, 4 Dough Balls
Sesame Oil, For Greasing
Low Moisture Mozzarella, For Shredding
Parmigiano Reggiano, For Grating
Shallots Sliced, 4
Scallions Coarsely Sliced, A Handful
Equipment:
Griddle / Outdoor Grill
Cast Iron Skillet / Pan
Directions:
Please visit my "How To Make Chinese 5 Spice" for the recipe.
Please visit my "How To Make Grilled Pizza Dough" for the recipe.
Add the hoisin sauce, honey, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, toasted sesame oil, garlic powder, Chinese five spice, and white pepper to a mixing bowl. Stir until thoroughly combined.
Taste and adjust the sweetness with additional honey if desired, then set the sauce aside.
Pat the pork loin dry and season lightly with salt.
Heat the cooking oil in a cast iron skillet or pan over medium heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the pork. If you have a burger press, you can gently press the pork against the skillet initially to encourage good contact and develop a better sear.
Once the underside develops a deep golden-brown crust, use a pair of tongs to turn the pork and lightly brown the remaining sides.
Turn off the heat before adding the butter and BBQ spice mix. This allows the butter to melt and the spices to bloom without immediately scorching against the hot skillet.
Tilt the skillet slightly and continuously spoon the melted spiced butter over the pork. Turn the pork as you baste so the surface becomes evenly coated.
Transfer the pork to a cutting board and allow it to rest. I like giving it about 15 minutes before dicing so all those juices don't immediately end up on my cutting board.
Finely dice the rested pork and set it aside.
Carefully add a small splash of water to the same skillet and scrape up all the browned bits left behind from searing the pork.
Add some of the prepared sauce and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until it reduces into a thick and glossy glaze.
Turn off the heat, add the diced pork and toss until every piece is evenly coated. Set aside while you prepare the pizza.
Heat your griddle or outdoor grill and lightly grease the cooking surface with sesame oil.
Roll out one pizza dough ball to your desired thickness and place it directly onto the hot griddle or grill. Lightly brush the exposed surface with more sesame oil.
Cook until the underside develops some colour and light charring. Watch it closely, grilled pizza can go from beautifully charred to burnt rather quickly.
Flip the dough and immediately reduce the heat to low.
Spread a thin layer of the prepared sauce over the cooked surface. Don't overdo it; the pork is already glazed and too much sauce can make the pizza soggy.
Scatter freshly shredded low-moisture mozzarella over the sauce, followed by sliced shallots and the glazed pork.
Finish with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Cover the griddle or grill. The trapped heat helps melt the cheese while the underside of the pizza continues cooking.
Cook until the mozzarella has melted and the bottom of the pizza is lightly charred and cooked through. Lower the heat further if the crust is browning faster than the cheese is melting.
Transfer the pizza to a cutting board and finish with freshly sliced scallions.
Repeat with the remaining pizza dough, sauce and toppings.
Slice and serve immediately.
Tips
Don't overcook the pork loin.
Pork loin is relatively lean, so taking it miles beyond its safe temperature will dry it out. Cook to at least 63°C / 145°F and give it the required rest.
Turn off the heat before adding the BBQ spice mix.
Finely ground spices and sugar in BBQ rubs can scorch quickly against hot cast iron. Let the residual heat melt the butter and carry those flavours around the pork.
Reduce some sauce separately for the pork.
Tossing the diced pork in a reduced glaze gives it a sticky coating without requiring you to drown the entire pizza in sauce.
Go easy with the pizza sauce.
The pork is already heavily flavoured. A thin layer underneath the cheese is enough.
Low-moisture mozzarella works better here.
You get the melt without introducing too much additional water onto a pizza that cooks very quickly.
Don't overload the pizza.
Grilled pizza cooks from underneath, so excessive toppings can leave you with burnt dough before everything above it has heated through.
Adjust the honey to your preference.
If you like your Chinese BBQ sauce sweeter, add more. If not, leave it alone. That's why I'm not pretending the honey needs laboratory precision.
No outdoor grill? Use a griddle.
That's exactly what I do.
FAQ
What is Char Siu-Inspired Grilled Pork Pizza?
It is a grilled pizza topped with pork loin coated in a Chinese barbecue-inspired sauce made with hoisin, honey, oyster sauce, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil and Chinese five spice. The pizza is finished with mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, shallots and scallions.
Is this traditional char siu?
No. Traditional Cantonese char siu is a style of roasted or barbecued pork. This recipe borrows flavours associated with Chinese barbecue and char siu but uses skillet-seared pork loin as a topping for grilled pizza.
What is char siu?
Char siu (叉烧) is a Cantonese preparation of seasoned and roasted pork and is commonly associated with the broader siu mei tradition of Cantonese roasted meats. Recipes and marinades vary, but the finished pork is characteristically savoury and sweet with a glazed exterior.
Why use pork loin?
I wanted pieces of lean pork that I could sear, baste, dice and glaze before putting them onto the pizza. Because pork loin is lean, however, it is important not to overcook it.
What temperature should pork loin reach?
Whole cuts of pork should reach at least 63°C / 145°F internally followed by at least a 3-minute rest. Check the thickest part with an instant-read thermometer.
Can I make this without an outdoor grill?
Absolutely. I make grilled pizza on a griddle. An outdoor grill will provide additional smokiness and char, but it isn't necessary.
Why use sesame oil on the pizza dough?
I'm using sesame oil here because its toasted, nutty aroma works with the Chinese-inspired toppings. You only need a light coating; this isn't about soaking the pizza dough in sesame oil.
Can I use another cut of pork?
Yes, although cooking time and technique will change depending on the cut. Whatever you choose, cook it appropriately for that cut rather than blindly following the timing for pork loin.
Why mozzarella and Parmigiano on a Chinese-inspired pizza?
Because it's still pizza. I'm borrowing Chinese barbecue flavours rather than trying to turn every component into something traditionally Chinese. Mozzarella gives me the melt I want, while Parmigiano adds another layer of savouriness.
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