Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Char Siu Pork

Char siu pork was like an exciting new taste discovery to me when I was just beginning to cook.  I needed some for a recipe, so we went to the Asian grocery store and bought some.  I was intrigued by the appearance of the bright red meat, and also by the sweet, smoky flavor.  I continued buying Char siu to use in recipes until this weekend.  I discovered that my favorite Chinese cookbook had a recipe, and it didn't look too difficult.  
I bought the wrong kind of pork (butt instead of loin), sliced it much more thinly than usual, and it was still absolutely wonderful.  I don't think I'll ever be able to go back to store bought!

(adapted from The Chinese Kitchen by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo)
About 2 pounds of pork butt or pork loin
4 tsp soy sauce
1/3 cup honey
1/4 tsp salt
4 tsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
4 tsp hoisin sauce
1/8 tsp ground white pepper

Cut the pork into slices about 1/2" to 1" thick.
Prick all over both sides with a fork.
Line a roasting pan with foil.  Place the pork in a single layer in the bottom of the pan.
In a small bowl, whisk together all remaining ingredients and pour over the meat.  Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate 2 to 4 hours.
Heat the oven to 450 F.  Place the roasting pan on a rack in the middle and roast for about 25 minutes.  Turn the meat over and baste every 5 to 6 minutes.  If the sauce dries out, add some boiling water to the pan.  Some of the sauce may burn in the pan, but the meat should be fine.  Check for doneness by removing one piece of pork and slicing in the middle to see if it is cooked through.
Remove from the pan to cool.

6 comments:

Maria said...

I love visiting the Asian market, so many fun finds!! Looks like you came up with a tasty recipe!

Court Cooks said...

This looks wonderful. I may have to make it this week!

Kristina R. said...

This looks great. I have recently learned that I like pork so am now trying to branch out from my standby BBQ in the crockpot recipe.

That Girl said...

How different does this taste from the Chinese BBQ pork you find in restaurants?

Court Cooks said...

The pork was great!! Thanks!

Jaime said...

seriously?! i never knew this was so easy to make! thanks for sharing