Cha Shui Chinese Roast Pork Hyde Park Food

CHAR SIU

Steps:

• Place the pork shoulder in a resealable plastic bag. Whisk together the sugar, cooking wine, hoisin sauce, light soy sauce, peanut butter, red bean curd sauce, ginger, five-spice powder, dark soy sauce, red bean curd, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper in a medium bowl until combined. Strain 1/2 cup of the marinade into a bowl and stir in the honey. Cover the glaze and refrigerate.
• Meanwhile, pour the remaining marinade into the bag with the pork and "massage" the meat until it's completely coated. Seal the bag, pressing out as much of the air as possible, and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Remove the pork from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature, about 1 hour.
• When the pork is almost ready, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F with a rack in the center position. Line a rimmed baking sheet with 2 layers of aluminum foil and top with a wire rack. Generously spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• Lay the pork slices on the prepared baking sheet with at least 1 inch between each slice, then pour 1/3 cup cold water into the baking sheet. Bake, rotating halfway, until the thickest part of the pork registers 145 degrees F on a meat (or instant-read) thermometer, about 55 minutes.
• Remove the pork from the oven and preheat the broiler on high until super hot.
• Flip the pork slices over and broil until the surface is dry, about 7 minutes. Brush the top of the slices with about half of the refrigerated glaze. Broil until the glaze is caramelized and bubbling, about 9 minutes. Flip the pork slices over again and brush the top with the remaining glaze. Broil until the glaze is caramelized and bubbling, about 9 minutes. Let rest for about 10 minutes. Cut into pieces, as desired.

CHAR SIU

Steps:

• To make the marinade, stir the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ketchup, oyster sauce, 1/4 cup of the honey, the sugar, sherry, ginger, five-spice powder and food coloring if using together in a large bowl. Set aside.
• Cut the pork into strips 6 inches long and 3 inches wide. Place the strips flat in a shallow baking dish. Pour the marinade over the pork strips and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
• When ready to roast the pork, position one rack to the lowest part of the oven and another rack about 5 inches above it. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Drain the pork; place the marinade in a small saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 1/4 cup honey.
• Place a shallow roasting pan on the bottom rack of the oven and fill the pan about three-quarters full with water. Carefully place the pork strips on the oven rack above the roasting pan so all sides of the pork strips are exposed to heat and all are over the pan to catch drips.
• Roast the pork for 30 minutes. Baste the pork strips with the honey mixture and roast for 15 minutes and baste again. Roast until the pork strips are crisp and golden brown, about 10 minutes longer.
• Remove the pork from the oven and let cool. To serve, slice the strips across into 1/2-inch strips and smother with reserved sauce.

CHAR SIU PORK

Steps:

• Quarter the pork lengthwise into strips about 6 inches long and 1 1/2 inches thick. If there are odd-size pieces, they should be of the same thickness.
• To make the marinade, in a large bowl, whisk together the garlic, sugar, five-spice powder, hoisin sauce, honey, rice wine, light and dark soy sauces, and sesame oil. Set aside 1/3 of the marinade, cover, and refrigerate to later baste the meat. Add the pork to the remainder and use a spatula or tongs to coat evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours, or even overnight, turning the pork 2 or 3 times.
• Remove the pork and reserved marinade from the refrigerator 45 minutes before cooking. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 475°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a flat roasting rack on the baking sheet. Put the pork on the rack, spacing the pieces 1 inch apart to promote heat circulation. Discard the used marinade, wash and dry the bowl, and put the reserved marinade in it.
• Roast, basting with the marinade every 10 minutes, for 30 to 35 minutes. To baste, use tongs to pick up each piece and roll it in the marinade before returning it to the rack, turning the pork over each time. The pork is done when it looks glazed, is slightly charred, and, most important, registers about 145°F on an instant-read meat thermometer. Remove from the oven.
• Let the meat rest for 10 minutes to finish cooking and seal in the juices before using. Or, let it cool completely, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months.

CHINESE ROAST PORK (CHAR SIU)

Steps:

• First day preparation:
• To make the marinade, combine the first 8 ingredients in a freshly-sanitized plastic container just large enough to hold the pork snug - or - in a Ziploc plastic bag. Reserve 1/4 cup of marinade for glaze. Add the pork, turn well to coat, and refrigerate at least 24 hours and not longer than 48 hours.
• Second day preparation:
• Preheat oven to 450°F Set a pan filled with 1" water on the bottom rack.
• Combine the honey, 2 Tbs. soy, sesame oil, and 1/4 cup pork marinade in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Set aside.
• Place pork strips on broiler pan and put on rack above water pan. Roast 10 minutes.
• Brush with 1/3 of the glaze, roast 10 minutes more, and then lower the heat to 350°F
• Brush with half of remaining glaze and roast 10 minutes more.
• Brush with remaining glaze and turn off oven. Remove from oven after 5 minutes and cool to room temperature on a rack (if using for Bao; otherwise, serve it up!).

CHAR SIU (CHINESE BBQ PORK)

Steps:

• Cut pork with the grain into strips 1 1/2- to 2-inches long; put into a large resealable plastic bag.
• Stir soy sauce, honey, ketchup, brown sugar, rice wine, hoisin sauce, red food coloring or red bean curd (see Cook's Note), and Chinese five-spice powder together in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook and stir until just combined and slightly warm, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the marinade into the bag with the pork, squeeze air from the bag, and seal. Turn bag a few times to coat all pork pieces in marinade.
• Marinate pork in refrigerator, 2 hours to overnight.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Remove pork from marinade and shake to remove excess liquid. Discard remaining marinade.
• Cook pork on preheated grill for 20 minutes. Put a small container of water onto the grill and continue cooking, turning the pork regularly, until cooked through, about 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).