I have made this numerous times and it is absolutely awesome and exactly what Chinese Takeout BBQ Pork should be.

Alexa

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Title: Cantonese Barbecue Pork
Categories: Chinese, Pork, Ceideburg 2
Yield: 1 servings
3 To 3 1/2 pounds pork butt,
-shoulder or tenderloin
4 tb Soy sauce
5 tb Sugar
3 tb Honey
2 tb Hoisin sauce
1 tb Grated fresh ginger
1 tb Shao Hsing rice wine or dry
-sherry
1 1/2 ts Salt
Mustard Dip (recipe follows)
3 tb Toasted sesame seeds
Think of these sweet, glazed strips of roast pork as the ham of Asia.
Both Chinese and Southeast Asian cooks serve cha siu as a main dish,
or as a meat addition or a delicious garnish in many stir-fry
mixtures, soups, noodle dishes and fried rice. Most Chinese cooks
purchase their cha siu already prepared at a roasting shop
(delicatessen). However, it is very easy to make at home, and the
results are not as garishly red as some commercial versions made with
food coloring.

Remove and discard the excess fat from the pork. Cut pork lengthwise
(with the grain) into 2-inch wide strips 5 to 6 inches long. Put into
a large bowl.

Combine soy sauces, sugar, honey, hoisin, ginger, wine and salt. Pour
over meat and rub it in well. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator
at least overnight or for up to 3 days, turning several times.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Place the pork strips on a broiler pan lined with foil. Roast for 30
minutes, turning once halfway through. Increase the heat to 425F and
roast for 10 minutes longer. Let cool before slicing.

To serve, cut across the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices. Serve with
mustard and sesame seeds for dipping.

MUSTARD DIP:

Mix together 2 tablespoons Colman's mustard, 2 tablespoons water,
pinch of salt, pinch of sugar and a few drops of oil.

Joyce Jue, San Francisco Chronicle, 1/8/92.

Thanks Alexa, that looks perfect. So....when you have cut up the pork (I was going to use tenderloin) do you end up with long skinny pieces?)

"Cut pork lengthwise
(with the grain) into 2-inch wide strips 5 to 6 inches long."

And then when done slice it?

thanks again!

Yep - that is exactly how it looks when I use boneless pork loin. I usually cut it in 6 inch lengths, then lengthwise into quarters so it ends up about the diameter of a tenderloin. However with a tenderloin, I might not cut it at all.... it will get too skinny.

If you haven't gotten the tenderloin yet, I might suggest going with the loin, but that is just what I am used to using.

Good luck and let me know how it works for you.

Alexa

Got any Chinese Five Spice to throw in?

Hey Jessy!

I've made it both with and without 5 spice and to be honest, it is better without! If someone is a HUGE fan of 5 spice then I guess it would be a good addition... but it really doesn't add a lot IMHO.

Alexa

5-spice is not a traditional ingredient in char siu. It isn't thought to go well with pork, Chinese prefer to use it with beef and occasionally, poultry.

I use the already-pkg'ed chunky strips of boneless pork butt (shoulder or blade, as it's called in some regions). They're about 2" wide x tall, and about 10-12" long. Good proportion of fat to lean, which is critical in Chinese cooking.

You can get pretty much the same effect by using one of the good quality sesame teriyaki marinades, like Soy Vey or Trader Joe's.

Marinate for a day, and grill it on the barbecue, gas or charcoal. The flavor is infinitely better than roasting or broiling. Grills vary so much I think times will vary considerably, but mine take about 6 min on each side, medium-high heat.

Would this be a good choice the pork slices in won ton soup?

Yep - same stuff!

Alexa

Another dumb question.....Is rice wine the same as rice wine vinegar? If not guess I will be using some sherry!

>>Is rice wine the same as rice wine vinegarNo, not at all. Go ahead and use sherry, it is a perfectly acceptable substitute.

[you guys are really not helping me use up that huge bag of 5-spice lori316 gave me in a swap...would you be called 'UN-ablers, LOL?]

[um I've never had pork, I guess I do like the 5-spice in chicken.....]

Jessyf, this recipe from Cooking Light has had good user reviews. Don't worry so much about waste - if you don't use your bag of 5-spice powder up in the next six months, just send it to the compost heap or greens recycling, and don't feel bad about it. It's very strong, so one seldom uses more than 1/2 to 1 tsp in any dish. The flavor fades quickly if you keep the 5-spice too long, anyway.

Note that many of the reviewers just served it over plain rice and liked it that way just fine. No need to search out rice noodles unless you want to!

Here is a link that might be useful: Cooking Light Stir-Fried Flank Steak with 5-spice

Thanks jkom. I make a similar beef noodle salad (rice noodles at TJs, and I live by quite a few Asian markets) that uses lime juice and fish sauce. I was kidding about using it up; I do have other recipes that utilitze it. It IS pungent and I find it doesn't go bad that fast, to my own insensitive senses.