Wok Your Pork Recipes

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!

SWEET AND SOUR PORK

Steps:

• Add the marinade ingredients to the pork, and mix everything together until there is no visible liquid. Set aside for 30 minutes.
• Next, make the sauce. Add 1 teaspoon of oil, ginger slices, and star anise to a small saucepan over medium heat, and cook until the ginger starts to caramelize (about 1 minute). Next, add the ketchup. When that starts to sizzle, stir constantly until the ketchup starts to caramelize (about 2 minutes). Take care not to burn the aromatics and ketchup--this step is essential to give the sauce a deeper, more complex flavor.
• Next, add the white vinegar, sugar, and the juice from the canned pineapple. Stir until the mixture starts to simmer, and the sugar is dissolved. Turn to the lowest heat and let the sauce simmer and reduce until the sauce just starts to coat a spoon (about 30 minutes). The sauce needs this time for the flavors to meld. The sauce can be cooled and stored at this time, and you can double or triple the amount and store the sauce away in the refrigerator for future meals.
• Heat 3 cups of oil to 350F in a small pot for frying. Using a small pot and frying in batches leaves you with less leftover oil to deal with. Always let the oil cool completely and use a fine mesh strainer to strain the oil before storing in the refrigerator.
• Mix together the dredging ingredients (flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper) in a shallow dish. Dredge the pork pieces in the flour mixture, dip into the egg, and then dredge with the flour again.
• Fry the pieces in batches for about 2 to 3 minutes, or when they just start to get golden brown. Remove them from the oil and transfer to a sheet pan with a slotted spoon or spider.
• Once you're ready to combine everything, refry the pork in batches to crisp up the coating. That's right, they're going to fry for a second time--this prevents the pork from getting too soggy when added to the sauce.
• To a clean wok, add 1 tablespoon oil, the bell peppers, and onions. Stir-fry for 30 seconds, and add the sauce and the pineapple. Bring the mixture to a simmer to further thicken the sauce. At this time, you will likely need to add some cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce further. Add half first and stir for 15 seconds; then decide if you need more. Remember the sauce will thicken more as it cools in the plate, so add only as much as you need.
• I have to add another note to this recipe that this sauce is very sweet and very pungent! So at this point, you must taste the sauce and add water to it if it is too strong and by that, I mean too sweet or too sour. Once you have it adjusted to your taste and the desired thickness, especially if you added more water, then go ahead to the next step and add the pork.
• Next, add your crispy pork to the sauce, and toss until the pieces are well-coated. Serve immediately!

PORK STIR FRY

Steps:

• Whisk soy sauce, vinegar, and cornstarch together in a small bowl.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Cook and stir tenderloin strips in hot oil until just browned, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate and return wok to heat.
• Heat remaining oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir red chile pepper and garlic in hot oil until sizzling, 15 to 30 seconds. Add onion and green pepper to skillet; cook and stir until onion starts to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir chopped bok choy stalks into onion mixture; cook and stir until stems begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
• Stir broccoli into bok choy mixture; cook and stir until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add pork, chopped bok choy leaves, and soy sauce mixture; cook and stir until well-combined. Season pork mixture with ginger; cook and stir until bok choy starts to wilt and broccoli is tender, 5 to 7 minutes.