A healthier low carb keto friendly char siu Chinese BBQ pork recipe that’s made without added sugar. It’s a much better option to the high carb take-out and is perfect for adding to fried cauliflower rice.
My family likes to eat out regularly at a local Chinese restaurant. I always keep my meals plain with hot tea, sashimi, soup, and a salad. Occasionally, I’ll order a low carb stir fry.
But, my husband really likes the roasted pork fried rice. And, he loves the sweet sticky sauce on the meat which I find way too sweet. However, I used to really enjoy it as an appetizer back in my high carb days.
I decided to try and make a low carb char siu Chinese BBQ pork recipe using keto friendly ingredients. So, I’m sharing the method that I used.
First off, I made an Asian style barbecue marinade. Rather than use soy sauce, I made it with coconut aminos instead.
A lot of soy sauce adds wheat so I avoid it. But, it’s easy to buy tamari which is a gluten free version of soy sauce. I did read the label on the soy sauce at the restaurant and it doesn’t list any wheat products.
Although the food is delicious at the Chinese restaurant, that’s not the only reason we go there a lot. My oldest daughter works as a hostess there and it’s one of the few restaurants in the area where my youngest daughter is able to stay entertained.
To sweeten the barbecue marinade, I used a combination of stevia powder and Lakanto Golden Sweetener. I also added in a little sunflower seed butter for flavor and fat.
The pork roast I had was a tenderloin and about three pounds. I probably should have cut it into smaller pieces so more of the marinade could be absorbed into the meat.
And, I would have liked to have more edges to the char siu Chinese BBQ pork with the browned barbeque sauce. I’m also thinking a fattier piece of meat might be even more delicious.
However, this was a heritage pork roast from a Butcher Box shipment. So, it was a high quality piece to start with and turned out very tender.
My last Butcher Box shipment contained a 3 pound package of pork ribs. I’ll try this barbecue marinade with the rib meat next time. But, I’ll try cooking it in the slow cooker and browning it the oven at the end.
One of the seasonings for the marinade is Chinese five spice powder. If you don’t have any of this, it’s easy to make the spice blend using this five spice recipe.
I made a batch of my cauliflower rice recipe to serve with this char siu Chinese BBQ pork. Although pre-shredded cauliflower is easier, I like to just shred a head of organic cauliflower and cook it for five minutes in the microwave.
To change things up, I used some of the pork with most of the cauliflower rice to make low carb pork fried rice. It’s really easy to make fried cauliflower rice.
When I fry cooked cauliflower rice, I typically cook it in oil, then add in meat and vegetables with coconut aminos. I used to use soy sauce, but I try to avoid soy.
Scrambled egg is also added to fried cauliflower rice. It can be cooked up separately, or the rice can be pushed to the side and the egg stir fried in the same pan and then mixed in.
I don’t like to cook things the same way all the time so I tend to make my low carb fried rice different each time. And, sometimes, I’ll add shredded broccoli to the cauliflower.
I put together a collection of recipes using cauliflower rice. There’s a lot more that can be made than keto fried rice!
I’ve always enjoyed eating the traditional take out Chinese foods. So, it’s great to have this low carb char siu Chinese BBQ pork recipe in my collection.
For more recipes, take a look at the low carb Chinese dishes recipe round-up that I put together at Community Table. It’s amazing how easy it is to convert high carb recipes to fit this lifestyle.
Asian dishes have always been some of my favorites. So, I regularly make things like chicken and shrimp stir fry as well my simple Thai canned chicken salad recipe.
Do you miss American Chinese takeout dishes? I used to love the appetizers like egg rolls and crab rangoons. One day, I may try to mimic them with a low carb dough.
But, for now, I’ll settle with the popular egg roll in a bowl and my simple stir-fry meals. I’m thinking the crab rangoons might work with a Fathead style dough. But, it will take some experimenting.
Char Siu Chinese BBQ Pork Recipe in Oven
Char Siu Chinese BBQ Pork
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless pork roast cut into smaller pieces if desired
- 2/3 cup coconut aminos or soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon stevia concentrated powder
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1/4 cup low carb brown sweetener
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sunflower butter or peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice
Instructions
- Slice pork into smaller pieces if desired. Mix remaining ingredients in a large zipper bag. Place pork into bag and marinate for at least 5 hours (overnight is best).
- Roast pork at 275°F until an internal temperature of 185°F is reached.
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Nutrition
Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
About Lisa
Lisa has been creating low carb recipes for herself and sharing them with others since 2010. She loves to experiment in the kitchen and find new ways to create low sugar foods that taste like high carb favorites! Her recipes have been featured on popular magazine sites including Fitness, Shape, Country Living, Women's Health, and Men's Health. Lisa lives in Southeastern Connecticut. Connect with her and Low Carb Yum at:
Emily Kemp says
Mmm this sounds so yummy especially with your suggested cauliflower rice!