Char Siu

Char siu, pronounced char-swee, is one of those meats that you would normally find hanging in the window at the Chinese market, along with the whole roasted ducks and salt-roasted chickens. However, of the three, char siu, or Chinese barbecue pork, is by far the easiest to make at home. Of course, we cannot duplicate the traditional Chinese technique, and in some cases would not want to. For example, not only are they hung in special ovens, they get their traditional ruby red color by being marinated in curing salt. Curing salt is a special kind of salt with nitrites and nitrates. Oddly, ketchup makes a perfect substitute for these salts, providing the ruby red color without the nitrates. Not only can curing salts be difficult to find, too many nitrates and nitrites can be a harmful thing. Besides, after having tried both methods, the ketchup seems to produce the better result. By far, the best recipe that I've found is from America's Test Kitchen: the Best International Recipe cookbook (p.532), though it still needed to be modified to meet our (FODMAP) dietary needs.

Traditional recipes cut the pork butt into long strips, but smaller and shorter strips seem to work best at home. One option is to buy the precut country-style short ribs (which is cut from the pork butt roast). This may eliminate a few steps and make for easier preparation, but they will be slightly more chewy and more dry than strips cut from a pork butt roast. With the bone removed, cut the roast lengthwise into 2-1/2 inch strips (resembling the precut country-style ribs). If it is any consolation, the "pork butt" is actually taken from the pig's front shoulder, and may even be labeled as such at your supermarket.

Serving: 6
Time: 20 min (prep); 4 hr (marinating); 1-1/4 hr (cooking)

1  (4 pound) boneless pork butt, cut into strips (see above)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce (gluten free)
6  tablespoons hoisin sauce (FODMAP hoisin sauce)
1/4 cup rice wine (Shaohsing wine) or dry sherry
2  tablespoons ginger, grated
2  cloves garlic, minced (non-FODMAP, omit or substitute with minced garlic greens)
1  tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1  teaspoon five-spice powder (FODMAP Five Spice)
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 cup ketchup (no high fructose corn syrup)
1/3 cup honey (non-FODMAP, substitute with maple syrup)

1.  Using a fork, prick the pork strips 10 to 12 times on each side. This will allow the marinade to flavor the meat more thoroughly. American's Test Kitchen states that this enables the marinating time to be reduced to 30 minutes. This may be true if you are in a hurry, but if you have the time plan on still marinating the meat for 4 hours. For now, place the meat in a large zip-lock bag and set aside.

2.  Combine all of the ingredients into a bowl, with the exception of the ketchup and honey (or maple syrup), and mix well. Reserve 1/2 cup of the marinade for basting. Pour the remainder of the marinade over the meat in the zip-lock bag. Remove the air from the bag and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

3.  Meanwhile, combine the ketchup and honey (or maple syrup) in a saucepan, together with the 1/2 cup reserved marinade. Heat until syrupy and well mixed.

4.  Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Place the strips of meat on a baking sheet with a wire rack. Pour 1/2 cup water in the bottom of the pan. Tightly cover the entire pan with foil and roast the pork for 20 minutes.

5.  Remove the foil cover and cook for another 25 minutes.

6.  Turn the oven to broil and broil the pork, still on the medium rack, until evenly browned (7-9 minutes). Then brush the pork with the reserved ketchup-marinade mixture and broil for an additional 3-5 minutes. The pork will look turn to a deep mahogany color and look as though it were burning.

7.  Flip the meat and repeat step 6, broiling for 7-9 minutes, then baste and broil for an additional 3-5 minutes.

8.  Let the meat sit for 10 minutes, then slice and serve.