There's nothing more characteristic of a Chinese deli than the glazed Char-siu hanging in the window. Char-siu, otherwise known as Chinese Barbecued Pork, isn't really barbecued in the traditional sense. It consists of strips of fatty pork that are hung from forks and cooked in a vertical roaster. Its Chinese name, Char-siu, means "fork roasted."

Because most home cooks don't have access to a powerful vertical roaster, we need to resort to slow roasting Char-siu horizontally in an oven. One weekend, I decided to determine if the Chinese Barbecued pork can actually be made on the barbecue. What turned out was actually more authentic than any recipe I've tried in an oven. Moreover, the pork actually developed smoke ring. Its added smokiness complemented the sweet and tangy glaze.


Sliced

Smoke Ring

A smoke ring is the pink discoloration under the surface "crust" of smoked meat. According to about.com, it is caused by nitric acid build-up from the absorption of nitrogen dioxide through the surface of the meat. Nitrogen dioxide is produced from combustion. It reacts with the moisture in the meat, creating nitric acid.

Recipe follows:

Essentially, I followed the recipe that I posted to foodiePrints with the exception that I had to improvise the marinade due to some lacking ingredients and I changed the cooking time a bit.

Recipe

Cooling on a metal Rack

Plated

Plated (another angle)

Stuff you'll need:

• 2 lb of pork loin
• marinade
  • 3 tbsp dry sherry
  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tsp 5 spice powder
  • 2 tsp brown bean sauce
  • 2 tsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
• glaze
  • 2 tbsp brown bean sauce
  • 2 tbsp dry sherry
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp five spice powder

Prep:

1. Cut the pork loin into long, roughly 6" by 2" by 1" pieces.
2. Use a fork to repeatedly jab into the pork until it is well "aerated."
3. Mix the ingredients of the marinade together in a small bowl.
4. Take a lidded container or a piece of Tupperware that can accommodate all of the pork and pour the marinade into it.
5. Lay the pork onto the marinade and coat each side.
6. Lid the container and place it into the fridge for 6 hours or overnight.

Method:

1. Determine how the burners in the barbecue are oriented. You need to divide the grill up so that the meat is indirectly roasted. This way, it will be slow-roasted in a controlled fashion. For my barbecue, I have two sets of burners that run back to front. I turned one onto high and left the other at absolute minimum. Half-way through cooking, I actually turned the burner at minimum off.
2. Pre-heat the barbecue to 350F.
3. Brush the grates with some high smoke-point oil.
4. Mix the ingredients of the glaze together in a small bowl and set aside.
5. Place the meat onto the cooler part of the grill
6. Close the barbecue and cook for a total of approximately 70 minutes, turning the meat over every 10 minutes
7. After 30 minutes, begin basting the meat as you turn it. This involves applying a very thin layer of glaze before flipping the meat over. Remember to glaze the sides of the meat as well.
8. After another 30 minutes passes (ie. after an hour of roasting), check the meat for doneness with a meat thermometer.
9. Continue roasting, glazing and turning, until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 145F
10. Now, take the meat and grill each side for 1-2 minutes on the high heat burner to caramelize the glaze and develop some grill marks.
11. Check the meat again for doneness with a meat thermometer. The internal temperature should reach 150F. If not, place the meat on the heating rack and continue cooking until the meat reaches 150F.
12. Remove the meat from the heat and cool on metal racks for 5 minutes
13. Slice thin and serve

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