Recipe: Aunthentic Chinese BBQ Pork (Cha Siu)
My sister was hosting her first family Christmas Eve dinner after getting married. I imagine she wanted to honor the idea of family and tradition with her new husband as they invited our family and their friends over. In this same vein, I can imagine they wanted it to be a perfect event as defined by Martha Stewart.
My parents became blue-collar workers once they came to the states. They had minimal English language skills and definitely did not know Martha’s definition of Christmas but they always did their best to give us what they thought we needed and wanted. As my sister’s guests, they wanted to contribute and help her host a lovely holiday. So when they asked what they could bring, my sister asked them to bring Chinese BBQ pork as an appetizer. She thought that would be in their comfort zone and a nice way to introduce a little of our culture to her friends.
Now, many of us are familiar with the BBQ pork that is available in the Chinese restaurants where you can get fried rice, almond fried chicken, sweet and sour pork, and chicken chop suey. It’s that very lean cut of meat that has a pork-white cooked center bordered by a perfect shade of Red Dye #4. It’s always served in perfect thin slices albeit a bit dry sometimes. That must be why it often comes with a side of ketchup, hot mustard, and sesame seeds. I think that’s exactly what my sister thought my parents would bring.
What my parents actually brought were these thick, fatty roasted brown chunks of meat. There were no condiments, just the pork’s natural grease to keep it moist. I don’t think that’s what my sister expected or wanted to serve to her guests. It was, however, authentic and what my parents thought was better and tastier than the milk toast restaurant version. They were right.
Here is a recipe I found when I wanted to make my own authentic Chinese BBQ Pork without the food dye and a little less fat. It wasn’t Christmas, but it was pretty darn delicious.
(I attempted to make steamed bao buns at the same time. Those were not as successful. One day soon, I will try again.)
- 1 lb whole pork belly, skin removed
- 2 Tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
- 2 Tbsp dark soy sauce, or substitute regular soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1/2 tsp five-spice powder
- 2 Tbsp honey
- Marinate the pork belly: In a large bowl, mix together the rice wine, dark soy sauce, sugar, garlic, hoisin sauce, and five-spice powder. Rub the pork belly with the marinade mixture and marinate for 2 to 3 hours in the refrigerator.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Hold up the pork for a few seconds to allow excess marinade to drip off, then place the pork in a roasting pan. Brush the top with the honey. Roast the pork for about 45 minutes, flipping over the pork belly half-way through and brushing honey on the other side. The pork is done when the outsides begin to crisp and blacken and the center of the pork belly strip feels firm.
- Remove the pork from oven and let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into thin slices. Arrange the slices on a plate and serve.
- Pork belly, as the name would imply, is pretty fatty. If the cut you get is too fatty, you can cut some of it off before roasting, However, I would leave some on so the meat doesn't get too dry during the cooking process.
