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Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)
Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)
If I was put on death row and asked what the last thing on Earth that I'd like to eat, my final meal, char siu would be on the top of the list. I have loved this bbq pork ever since I was a little kid. My family would order everything with bbq pork in it from the Chinese restaurant that we got take out from. I love this pork so much, I snuck some of the pork in the picture into the movie theatre in a ziplock bag.Char siu is typically made out of pork shoulder. It can be made out of pork sirloin, pork loin, or tenderloin; but they tend to be less juicy than pork shoulder. Fat is a good thing here. You will want a 3lbs. piece of boneless pork shoulder. I purchased a whole bone in shoulder and processed out the coppa roast and the flat iron, If the coppa roast was a beef cut, you'd know it as a chuck eye roast. You don't have to go to this extreme. You can use any part of the shoulder. I just happen to know how to cut these muscles out of the shoulder and use them. Cut the pork shoulder into 2" in diameter chunks with the grain. The char siu gets its color from the red bean curd. If you've ever seen this pork really red, the color will be coming from red food coloring. But I want to avoid food coloring as much as possible. The red color in the bean curd comes from a natural fungus. This pork needs to marinate for at least 3 days.When ready to cook the pork, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Yes, 400 degrees. Normally when you think of cooking pork shoulder, you cook it low and slow. Not here. It will be tender. Trust me. I was skeptical the first time I tried making this. Roast this for 15 minutes. Pull it out of the oven and brush on the glaze. Roast for 7 minutes. You want to do this for 3 times total. The honey will caramelize the outside while the bean curd juice will give it a nice red color. Once done roasting, let sit for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs boneless pork shoulder
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 3 red bean curd cubes + 2 tbsp liquid
- 1 1/2 tbsp Chinese 5 spice powder
- 3 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
- 3/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
Pork Glaze
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp red bean curd liquid
- 1 tbsp cooked marinade
Instructions
- Take a 3lb. piece of pork shoulder and cut it into a few long chunks with the grain. Each piece should be around 2″ in diameter. In this picture, I cut out the coppa roast and the flat iron. The coppa roast is the center muscle of the shoulder. If this was beef, you’d know it as a chuck eye roast.
- Mix together the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, red bean curd cubes and liquid, 5 spice powder, honey, cooking, wine, white pepper, sesame, oil, and garlic cloves. Mash the bean curds into a paste. Mix everything thoroughly.
- Add the pork shoulder pieces and the marinade to a gallon sized ziplock bag. Marinate for 72 hours. Turn the bag over every 12 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Lay the pork shoulder pieces on a rack onto of a foil covered baking sheet. Add a couple cups of water to the baking sheet to prevent smoking. Roast the pork for 15 minutes.
- While the pork is roasting, mix together honey, red bean curd liquid, and some of the marinade. Make sure to cook the marinade in the microwave for a few seconds before mixing in. Now you have your pork glaze.
- After the first 15 minutes of roasting, take the pork out of the oven and brush on the pork glaze. Don’t worry about getting the bottom. Put the pork back in the oven and roast for 7 minutes. Repeat this step 2 more times, for a total of 3 glazes.
- After the final glazing and roasting, let the pork rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
Carne Asada
Carne Asada
Carne Asada refers to grilled meat. There are countless types of marinades that you can make for this dish. Carne asada varies quite a bit from region to region in Mexico,so it’s really just personal preference. Lime juice or sour orange juice(which isn’t easily available in my hood) are typically used in the marinade. The acidity of citrus is a natural tenderizer to meat. Some people will use beer in their marinade. I used some soy sauce for a little saltiness, along with garlic and onion, because they’re my favorite aromatics to use in everything. When picking out meat, I recommend using either flank or skirt steak. They both take marinades well and are already fairly thin cuts, allowing them to cook faster. Top sirloin is a good substitute that’s still inexpensive. If you want more of a higher end cut, ribeye or NY strip will work great. Make sure they are no more than 3/4″ thick.Carne Asada is traditionally grilled over wood or charcoal. Grilling this way will give it a nice char and smokey flavor. The steak will take about 6 minutes a side for medium rare. If you don’t have a grill like myself, you can prepare it on a grill pan on your stove top or under the broiler like I did. The steak will take 8 minutes a side for medium rare. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing. Slice the steak against the grain, thinly.I turned my carne asada into tacos with a homemade Serrano pepper hot sauce, real Mexican sour cream, and my cilantro/onion/green onion mix.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb flank steak or skirt steak top sirloin, ribeye, ny strip will also work
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- juice of a lime
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 medium onion sliced
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- There are a couple of options you can use for the beef. Flank steak or skirt steak are great options. They are already fairly thin cuts that absorb marinade well and take minimal time to cook. Top sirloin, ribeye, NY strip, flat iron, and hangar steaks are all acceptable substitutes. I am using a flank steak.
- Mix the soy sauce, lime juice, minced garlic, onion, and black pepper together.
- Pour the marinade over the meat. Let the flank marinate for a couple of hours. Overnight is even better.
- There are a couple different ways you can cook this. A charcoal grill works the best and gives it the best flavor. You can cook this on a grill pan on the stove top. I decided to use my broiler. Regardless of how you cook the meat, let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.
- Preheat your broiler for a good 10 minutes. Set your oven rack 6 inches away. Put the flank on a rack on a foil covered baking sheet. Broil the flank steak for 8 minutes a side. Let rest for 10-15 minutes.
- Once the flank is done resting, slice it thin against the grain.
- Carne Asada can be served with some beans and rice with some avocado. Or you can turn it into tacos like I did with; topped off with homemade Serrano pepper hot sauce, real Mexican sour cream, and cilantro/onion/green onion mix.
Steak in Salsa Verde
Steak in Salsa Verde
Steak in salsa verde is very popular and made all over Mexico. It varies from region to region. It can be made with just the meat and salsa verde, or you can add some type of vegetable to it like I have with the potato. You can also substitute squash, green zucchini, green beans, just to name a few.When selecting the beef for this dish, you want to use something that has some fat to it. Ribeye works best. NY strip or top sirloin are leaner, but will work well too. You can either have it thin sliced like I have or cut it up into bite sized chunks. This is a great dish with a side of beans, or you can even use this as a filling for tacos.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Salsa Verde
- 1 lb tomatillos
- 2 serrano peppers or 1 jalapeno
- 1/4 medium white onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup water
Steak in Salsa Verde
- 1 1/2 lbs thinly sliced beef ribeye, strip, or sirloin
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
- 2 medium potatoes diced into small cubes
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
Instructions
Salsa Verde
- In a blender or food processor, add tomatillos, Serrano pepper, white onion, garlic, and water. Puree until smooth. set aside.
Steak in Salsa Verde
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, add the cooking oil. Brown the steak pieces.
- Pour in the sals verde and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Add in the cubed potatoes. Simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes or until the potato are tender.
- Garnish with a lot of fresh cilantro. Serve with tortillas.
