Chinese Roast Pork Panini Recipes

CHINESE ROAST PORK BELLY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C), arrange a pan on the bottom 1/3 of oven rack and fill with water. The pork belly should be roasted using the rack above it.
• Wash and use paper towels to dry the pork belly.
• Make some horizontal slits on the sides of the belly, then rub the meat side with the five spice powder.
• Insert each garlic and push them deep inside the pork belly.
• Layer the top of the pork belly with the salt evenly.
• Place the pork belly on a wire rack. This is how it should look before going into the oven.
• Place the pork belly at the top 1/3 of the oven and roast for 1 hour. While baking, the oil will drip to the bottom pan with water.
• Bake until the salt crust forms, the salt should be hardened. Check water in the pan below and add if needed. This is how the pork belly and salt crust will look like in the oven. You have to insert the garlic deep inside the horizontal slits or else they will be pushed out during the roasting process.
• Remove the pork belly from the oven, pull off the salt crust and discard.
• Raise the heat of oven to 465°F (240°C), place the pork belly back in the oven and roast for another 40 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let set for 10 minutes.
• Cut and serve immediately with some chili sauce and hoisin sauce, or eat as is.

CHAR SIU (CHINESE BBQ PORK)

Steps:

• Cut the pork into long strips or chunks about 2 to 3 inches thick. Don't trim any excess fat, as it will render off and add flavor.
• Combine the sugar, salt, five spice powder, white pepper, sesame oil, wine, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, molasses, food coloring (if using), and garlic in a bowl to make the marinade (i.e. the BBQ sauce).
• Reserve about 2 tablespoons of marinade and set it aside. Rub the pork with the rest of the marinade in a large bowl or baking dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours. Cover and store the reserved marinade in the fridge as well.
• Preheat your oven to 'bake' at 475 F (246 C) with a rack positioned in the upper third of the oven. (If you only have a convection oven, keep in mind the oven not only heats more quickly, your char siu will roast faster than what we have described here). It's amazing how oven temperatures can vary-from model to model, in different spots in the oven, and in how ovens pre-heat and maintain heat. Using an oven thermometer to double-check the actual oven temperature is a great safeguard to monitor your food (I say double-check because even oven thermostat calibrations vary and can sometimes be incorrect). Regardless, be sure to check your char siu every 10 minutes, reducing or increasing the temperature as needed.
• Line a sheet pan with foil and place a metal rack on top. Using the metal rack keeps the pork off of the pan and allows it to roast more evenly, like it does in commercial ovens described above. Place the pork on the rack, leaving as much space as possible between pieces. Pour 1 ½ cups water into the pan below the rack. This prevents any drippings from burning or smoking.
• Transfer the pork to your preheated oven. Roast for 25 minutes, keeping the oven setting at 475 F for the first 10 minutes of roasting, and then reduce your oven temperature to 375 F (190 C). After 25 minutes, flip the pork. If the bottom of the pan is dry, add another cup of water. Turn the pan 180 degrees to ensure even roasting. Roast another 15 minutes. Throughout the roasting time, check your char siu often (every 10 minutes) and reduce the oven temperature if it looks like it is burning!
• Meanwhile, combine the reserved marinade with the maltose or honey (maltose is very viscous--you can heat it up in the microwave to make it easier to work with) and 1 tablespoon hot water. This will be the sauce you'll use for basting the pork.
• After 40 minutes of total roasting time, baste the pork, flip it, and baste the other side as well. Roast for a final 10 minutes.
• By now, the pork has cooked for 50 minutes total. It should be cooked through and caramelized on top. If it's not caramelized to your liking, you can turn the broiler on for a couple minutes to crisp the outside and add some color/flavor. Be sure not to walk away during this process, since the sweet char siu BBQ sauce can burn if left unattended. You can also use a meat thermometer to check if the internal temperature of the pork has reached 160 degrees F. (Update: USDA recommends that pork should be cooked to 145 degrees F with a 3 minute resting time)
• Remove from the oven and baste with the last bit of reserved BBQ sauce. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing, and enjoy!

CHINESE ROAST PORK PANINI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F Season the pork with salt and pepper. Heat a heavy, mdeium ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil, then the pork; cook, turning, until browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the oven and roast until a thermometer registers 150­, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes; cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
• In a small skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 8 minutes.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the hoisin sauce, honey, sesame oil and soy sauce. Stir in the onion and the pork and its juices.
• Preheat a panini press. Divide the pork mixture evenly among the roll bottoms, then cover with the tops. Working in batches if necessary, grill until browned and crisp.