CHAR SIU SLICED PORK CHOP

I have been known to walk miles in search of good Char Siu (Chinese Roast Pork). Its sweet and sticky sauce is about as naughty as any food should be, but of course, that’s what makes it so irresistible. My friend Grace introduced me to a great place down in NY’s Chinatown (Big Wong) where you can get it to go. But I thought it might be fun to see if I could get close to replicating it and I think I came close. Give this recipe a shot and let me know what you think. (It’s also a great marinade for chicken too.)

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 2)

2 bone-in pork chops

MARINADE

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

2 Tablespoon ketchup

2 Tablespoon dark brown sugar

1 Tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine

1 Tablespoon honey

1 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons oyster sauce

1 teaspoon molasses

1 teaspoon five-spice powder

1 teaspoon grated ginger

1 teaspoon grated garlic

1 teaspoon sesame oil

½ cup canola oil

PREPARATION

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Slit the fatty side of the pork chops with a few shallow cuts so that the edges don’t curl up while cooking.

Place the pork chops in a Ziploc bag. Pour in ¾ of the marinade. Close bag and massage pork chops so that the marinade covers them. Place in fridge for 24-hours, turning over mid-way. Reserve ¼ of the marinade in a separate container and store in the fridge.

Take chops out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Oil a grill pan (or outside grill grates) and bring to medium high heat.

Take the chops out of the Ziploc and lightly scrape off excess marinade. Discard Ziplock. Place chops on grill pan (or direct heat on grill) and cover for six minutes until you get a nice char. Flip over and grill another 4-6 minutes until internal temperature is 140°. Allow to rest for ten minutes before slicing.

In a small saucepan, bring the reserved marinade up to a boil and then simmer for one minute. Drizzle on top of sliced pork once plated.

Serve with fried rice and/or bok choy.