LTH,

Not exactly Char Siu, but I thought I'd pop my Chinese BBQ Sparerib effort in this thread. I followed the recipe in Saveur May 2008 (#111), though I left out the red food coloring and used my smoker not oven.

I've made Chinese BBQ Spareribs on the smoker a few times, Bill SF/NM, BBQ man extraordinaire, posted a recipe to a BBQ listserve back in '03,* so couldn't resist trying the Saveur recipe.

Chinese style BBQ Ribs (Saint Louis) in middle, flanked by American BBQ ribs (loin back).



Chinese BBQ ribs were delicious, light smoke complimenting sweet, salty, rich meaty pork ribs, though next time out I will add fresh ginger and hot peppers to the marinade.

Enjoy,
Gary

*Bill SF/NM recently posted a picture of absolutely delicious looking, and I am sure tasting, Asian style BBQ ribs to the Random Food Pictures Thread

Gary--

Knowing you, I'd bet you tweaked the recipe a bit! Care to share?

Geo

Geo wrote:Knowing you, I'd bet you tweaked the recipe a bit! Care to share?

Geo,

First time out I typically stick pretty close to the stated recipe and, as I had a number of plates spinning when I made the Saveur marinade, I pretty much check-listed it. I did, as mentioned, leave out the food coloring and used a smoker not oven. I also added more garlic than called for.

Next time out I'll add fresh ginger and some heat, probably jalapeno, though the fruity notes and blistering heat of habanero would match well.

I suggest trying the Saveur Chinese Barbecued Spareribs, simple, inexpensive with a big flavor payoff.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:Next time out I'll add fresh ginger and some heat, probably jalapeno, though the fruity notes and blistering heat of habanero would match well.

LTH,

Went another round with Chinese BBQ today, template was still Saveur but I drifted from the recipe quite a bit. Smoked with lump charcoal and hickory, triple the garlic and an inch of ginger, both of which I grated on a microplane, I also added crushed red pepper and crushed red pepper that had been finely ground in a coffee grinder.

I thought it turned out pretty well, though I still intend trying habanero for its fruity notes as well as heat.

Chinese BBQ Spare Ribs (6.6.08)



Enjoy,
Gary

Are many Chinese places in town using wood smoke in their cooks for chinese BBQ?

I once visited the old Sun Wah's kitchen, and saw that the large upright ovens were gas fired.

There was pork belly everywhere! It was thrilling.

I took delivery of a 6.02lb Berkshire pork belly this evening that's going to get the char siu marinade treatment from tomorrow through Monday.



Unfortunately, I'm not bringing my WSM up to Eagle River with me for the weekend, so I'll just have to make do with an oven and a roasting rack.

I'll post updates when I return on Tuesday.

I look forward to your results. I love char siu and just picked up a pork belly myself and have been debating what to do with it.

I got the taste for making some BBQ pork lo mein after eating a satisfyingly brown-sauced version from 65 Kitchen in the Loop. One of my favorite places for greasy Chinese American food. Meathead is a trusted source for this sort of recipe so I gave his version a try: http://amazingribs.com/recipes/porknogr ... _ribs.html

I had boneless shoulder cuts on hand so I bagged those up with the marinade for 24 hours. That fire engine red color is a crucial part of char siu for me so I didn't skip the food coloring:


20 minutes in the oven and 10 min under the broiler later:


Taste of the meat was spot on, now it's lo mein time.

hell yeah

This dinner really hit the spot:

That really looks fantastic - nice job!

BR wrote:That really looks fantastic - nice job!

Thanks! Even cheap Chinese places have that high heat flame which gives you that smoky wok hei flavor you can't get at home, but I figured a partial workaround: burnt sugar. If you caramelize some sugar in the skillet while stir-frying your aromatics, it's almost like the real thing.

Yeah man, that bowl of Lo mein looks great.

Really nice job on the pork, great color.

Hi,

I made about four pounds of Char Siu using a new-to-me recipe. I don't like it as much as Sundevilpeg's, so we will be using this up fast. We have eaten directly, in a fried rice and tomorrow in some bao.

My intention was to store this char siu to use in bits and pieces over the winter. I think I should have gone with my gut thought to add more star anise when preparing the marinade. Just about every time I ignore it, I am sorry later.

Regards,
Cathy2

Hi,

Last night, I came upon an Australian website suggesting sesame pancakes with Char Siu. Flour, milk, eggs and sesame seeds, you have your basic crepe. I made the batter, then let it sit overnight in the refrigerator.

I then made Korean pickled Daikon radish cut into slivers. This radish has been in the fridge for perhaps a month or and still looks fresh from the market.

This morning after making an omelet for Mom, I went straight into making the crepes. It was a non-stick pan, so almost no oil was used.

For lunch today, I reheated the crepes, then put them in the oven set to warm along with our plates. I cut the char siu on an angle and reheated it, too.

At the table, I placed a crepe on the plate, lined char siu like little soldiers just below center, arranged some pickled daikon above the pork and dotted Hoisin sauce underneath. I then rolled up from the Hoisin sauce over the char siu and pickled Daikon.

My Dad when he found the pancakes earlier, thought I had made palačinke (pah-lah-CHEEN-keh). They are really quite close, but not quite. Close enough for Dad, who used some crepes for savory and then treated the rest as dessert.

I did roll a crepe in apple sauce. My Mom wanted more Char Siu. Everyone was happy with their choices. I got the ultimate compliment, "You can make this again."

Regards,
Cathy2

I have been making char siu regularly lately using the NY Times recipe, which includes red fermented tofu, which lends a reddish color. It turns out quite well, though I don't cook it at the very high temps they recommend. I do marinate it for at least 24 hours. It keeps well in the freezer, too, once cooked.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/102 ... rlic-bread

leek wrote:I have been making char siu regularly lately using the NY Times recipe, which includes red fermented tofu, which lends a reddish color. It turns out quite well, though I don't cook it at the very high temps they recommend. I do marinate it for at least 24 hours. It keeps well in the freezer, too, once cooked.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/102 ... rlic-bread

The recipe/method at Chinese Cooking Demystified's youtube channel, that I made back in September, turned out as good as any I've ever had. That version includes red fermented tofu but it was the red yeast rice, that I think really imparted a deep redness to the color of the final product . . .


Char Siu Pork

About a month later, I went with a very pre-fab version (also recommended at CCD) that was about 75% as good and 90% easier.

The NYT version looks fairly similar to the second version I made, but using packaged hoisin sauce instead of packaged char siu sauce. I may have to give it a go.

In any case, if you're into this stuff, the video at CCD is really worth a watch.

=R=

Cathy2 wrote:Last night, I came upon an Australian website suggesting sesame pancakes with Char Siu. Flour, milk, eggs and sesame seeds, you have your basic crepe. I made the batter, then let it sit overnight in the refrigerator.
...
At the table, I placed a crepe on the plate, lined char siu like little soldiers just below center, arranged some pickled daikon above the pork and dotted Hoisin sauce underneath. I then rolled up from the Hoisin sauce over the char siu and pickled Daikon.
...
I got the ultimate compliment, "You can make this again."

Glad I just reread this thread, because I will have a fresh batch of char siu for lunch tomorrow. I think I will add the pancakes to the menu.

I am making a Char Siu variant by Woks of Life. It does not have fresh ginger or star anise (yes, I know there is some star anise in the five-spice powder).

I decided to drop the bone from the pork shoulder in the marinade. My Dad gets a kick out of gnawing bones, so now he will have a new variant. It was this or make some pork stock.

Regards,
Cathy2

Cathy2 wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:Last night, I came upon an Australian website suggesting sesame pancakes with Char Siu. Flour, milk, eggs and sesame seeds, you have your basic crepe. I made the batter, then let it sit overnight in the refrigerator.
...
At the table, I placed a crepe on the plate, lined char siu like little soldiers just below center, arranged some pickled daikon above the pork and dotted Hoisin sauce underneath. I then rolled up from the Hoisin sauce over the char siu and pickled Daikon.
...
I got the ultimate compliment, "You can make this again."

Glad I just reread this thread, because I will have a fresh batch of char siu for lunch tomorrow. I think I will add the pancakes to the menu.

I am making a Char Siu variant by Woks of Life. It does not have fresh ginger or star anise (yes, I know there is some star anise in the five-spice powder).

I decided to drop the bone from the pork shoulder in the marinade. My Dad gets a kick out of gnawing bones, so now he will have a new variant. It was this or make some pork stock.

Regards,
Cathy2

Pork stock or pork bone broth?
Sorry…

Evil Ronnie wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:Pork stock or pork bone broth?
Sorry…

Believe me, I did think about it. I then decided: who cares! Of course, it is now a joke.

My Dad likes a good bone to chew, so there is the potential to make him happy.

Regards,
Cathy2

I am making a Char Siu variant by Woks of Life. It does not have fresh ginger or star anise (yes, I know there is some star anise in the five-spice powder).

We love this recipe--we've been making it every other month or so. I make 4-5 lb, then vacuum seal/freeze it in 1/2 lb-ish portions and use it for fried rice, bao, bamee moo dang, etc.

thaiobsessed wrote:

I am making a Char Siu variant by Woks of Life. It does not have fresh ginger or star anise (yes, I know there is some star anise in the five-spice powder).

We love this recipe--we've been making it every other month or so. I make 4-5 lb, then vacuum seal/freeze it in 1/2 lb-ish portions and use it for fried rice, bao, bamee moo dang, etc.

I like this recipe, too. I keep this in my freezer too for pretty much the same end-use.

For a Culinary Historians meeting a few years ago, someone thought I was crazy to make my own Char Siu for an event. "No Chinese cook makes their own!" I stopped at a Chinese market on the way home to price Char Siu at $10 a pound (early 2020 prices). I needed like eight pounds which cost less than $20 to make.

Regards,
Cathy2