Char Siu Pork Chops

Chinese style BBQ pork, which is used in my amazing Pork Fried Rice recipe, wasn’t something I tried before. I love the sticky ribs and pork pieces that I’ve had in Chinese restaurant dishes, but normally I don’t spend the time to marinate and slow roast pork before making pork fried rice.

I’ve decided after making these Char Siu Pork Chops that will all change for good. I’m never passing up the opportunity again to impart so much extra flavor into my pork fried rice.

This isn’t a traditional recipe because I didn’t have Hoisin Sauce (I’ll be honest I’m not a fan of the stuff), but I didn’t let that stop me from making an amazing marinade. Instead I subbed out a little BBQ sauce that we had in the refrigerator. All in all my version was tasty and by adding a little red food coloring I was able to achieve the red ring of color that is traditional to Char Siu pork. I also didn’t have Chinese five spice, but I improvised there as well. If you have it then sprinkle a little into your marinade.

Winging it with this recipe meant building an aluminum foil roasting rack since I don’t have a roasting rack for my baking sheet. I highly suggest that you keep the pork up out of the pan while it roasts so that it doesn’t steam. I crunched up strips of foil to rest the pork chops on. If you have a roasting rack then definitely spray it well with cooking spray, cover the pan with foil to prevent a messy cleanup from the burnt sauce, and pour 1/4 cup of water in the pan before placing it in the oven to help the meat to cook well and to avoid too much burnt sauce in the pan.

I hope that you’ll try this recipe today and leave a comment below. Also, please follow @lifeabovethecafe on Instagram and Facebook. You will find the links to my social media accounts below.

Ingredients:

• 4 thick cut boneless pork chops
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce or Hoisin Sauce
• 3 Tbsp. of brown sugar or honey
• 1/3 cup of Soy Sauce
• 2 – 3 Tbsp. of Ketchup
• 1 tsp. of garlic powder
• 1 tsp. of onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. of black pepper
• 1 – 2 tsps. of red food coloring
• 1 Tbsp. of cornstarch (for day 2 after marinating the meat)
• 1/4 cup of water for the pan that the pork bakes on

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix all of the marinade ingredients together except the cornstarch.  Place the pork chops in the marinade, if the marinade doesn’t cover the pork then add a little more water.  Cover it and put it in the refrigerator overnight.  I moved the pork chops around the next morning to ensure that all of them would be well marinated.

On day two, preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Reserve the marinade.  Use a greased baking rack on a foil line pan or make a foil baking rack by crunching up strips of aluminum foil.  Either way make sure to place a sheet of foil in the bottom of the baking pan and pour 1/4 cup of water into the bottom of the baking pan.

Place the marinated pork chops on the pan and bake for 10 minutes and then flip them and bake them for 10 more minutes.

While the pork cooks, pour the marinade into a small pan and add the cornstarch to the marinade, mixing until no lumps remain.  Bring the marinade up to a boil and then simmer for 5 at least 5 minutes.

After the pork has cooked on both sides for 10 minutes, remove it from the oven and turn your broiler on.  Brush the top of the pork with the thickened marinade and return it to the oven under the broiler.  Broil for about 5 minutes and then remove it and flip to the other side.  Brush more marinade on the other side of the pork chops and then return the pan to the oven and broil for about 5 more minutes.

The pork should have some crispy parts but do not let it burn all over.  Once the pork has broiled on both sides remove the pan from the oven and allow the pork chops to rest for 10 minutes before slicing or dicing it.

Use the Char Siu pork in recipes like Fried Rice or Lo Mein, or as a main dish.

Note** If your pork chops are thicker than 3/4 – 1 inch thick then you may need additional baking time before placing them under the broiler.  Make sure to check the internal temperature if you are uncertain as to whether or not your pork chops are cooked through.  Don’t over cook thin pork chops, adjust the time or lower your temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.