Chinese BBQ Pork Loin Roast
By David J. Stewart
Above: My Homemade Chinese BBQ Pork
Loin Roast Basted with 'Char Sui Sauce'
(It's very simple to make and
delicious!)
Above: Diced-up Chinese BBQ Pork
Loin Roast for My Chinese Egg Roll Filling
Above: This is what to look for in
your local Super-Market... PORK TENDERLOIN!
Making Chinese BBQ Pork Roast
Here's how...
1 pork loin roast. I buy mine prepackaged. Most larger super markets carry them. There's no bone, just a delicious pork roast.
1 jar of Char Sui Sauce. It would be found in the Chinese foods section of a larger grocery store. It's Chinese BBQ sauce, very sweet. You'll use the entire jar. Note: There's two different size jars (big and small). I use the entire small jar (1/2 before baking; and the other 1/2 after baking).
1 Tablespoon Chinese rice wine or sherry for marinade.
Rub Char Sui Sauce (found in the oriental foods section of a larger Super market) all over the roast generously. Put it into a gallon-sized plastic bag and add the 1 TBSP Chinese rice wine or sherry. Marinate the roast in a gallon-sized Zip-Lock freezer bag overnight in the refrigerator. Don't freeze it again.
When ready to cook, add a little bit of olive oil into a hot frying pan and brown all sides of the roast (but don't cook it too long because you want to bake it). A hot wok or frying pan will cook the roast quickly. I use either the wok or frying pan to sear each sides of the roast. The secret is to make sure the surface is very hot before laying the roast in it, so you'll get that nice fried flavor and dark coating on your roast. I love searing roasts. If the temperature is nice and hot, it'll only take 10-15 seconds per side.
Then put the roast into a baking (or roast pan) and baste all sides with Char Sui Sauce. Make sure the pan edges are high enough for the roast juices. Obviously, you don't want to use a cookie sheet like I did the first time (what a mess). I finally bought a baking pan. Bake for about 15-20 minutes in a 375 degree oven. I use a meat thermometer. Stick the thermometer into the thickest part of the roast. It's done when the internal temp reaches 155-160. I remove it at 145-155 degrees while the roast is still juicy. The roast still COOKS after the remove it from the oven, so you need to compensate a little bit. I remove my roast when the internal temperature hits 150 degrees. It will reach 155-160 by itself over the next few minutes from internal heat. DON'T broil the roast or it will overcook and become dry inside.
When done, baste all sides again with Char Sui Sauce. Cut the roast into thin slices and save all the juices in the pan. The juices are the most important part (to soak the meat in for flavor and moisture). Trust me, you love the juices. You may eat the roast all up as is. It's awesome!
I dice up half of my roast for the egg roll filling. I eat the other half as is. I put the bowl into a gallon-sized freezer bag and store it overnight in the refrigerator. I usually cook my roast one day and make egg rolls the next day. I use about one cup of diced up BBQ pork in my egg roll batch. It is the key ingredient to restaurant take-out style Chinese egg rolls. You must have the Chinese BBQ pork. The roast is awesome by itself. Perhaps serve it with some vegetables of your choice.
Also, it's IMPORTANT to save the juices from the roast pan (seen below) to dip the sliced pork into. I just leave the meat in the pan with the juices. I slice it on a cutting board and then put the sliced pork back into the juices. Enjoy!
My Homemade Chinese BBQ Pork Loin Roast Basted in 'Char Sui Sauce'
