Roasted Pork (Cha Shu)

This is the Chinese style roasted pork, aka, cha shu.

I'm sure there are many recipes out there, but I like how simple this recipe is so I can make it whenever I want.

» Ingredients

• 1 lb of half-fat-half-lean pork, cut into 2-inch strips
• 10 tablespoons sugar
• 6 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon cooking wine (optional)
• 2 teaspoon dark soy sauce (optional)
• 2 tablespoons molasses (or honey)

» Instructions

 › a day before roasting:

1. In a large bowl where can comfortably hold the pork in one layer, mix sugar and soy sauce together. (Also add optional ingredients if using.) Stir until sugar dissolved. (This will take about 10 minutes.)
2. Add the pork to the marinate sauce, wrap bowl with plastic wrap and leave in refrigerator.
3. In the morning, flip the pork so that it can be marinated evenly.

 › day of roasting:

4. Half an hour before roasting, take the marinated pork out of the refrigerator. Flip the pork once more. Preheat oven to 425 (F) degree.
5. In a roasting pan, arrange pork in one layer, add some of the marinate sauce, about 1/3 to 1/2 cup. Roast for 15 minutes, then flip the pork and roast the other side for another 15 minutes.
6. Decrease the oven to 350 (F) degree. Brush molasses all over the entire pork, roast another 5 minutes.
7. Cut roasted pork in thin slices and serve.

» Notes

• The key is to have fatty meat. Lean meat will tend to be dry and rough. 
• This recipe intends to be simple. So for the marinate, sugar and soy sauce is all it takes. But I usually like to add a little wine to bring out the flavor; the dark soy sauce will make the roasted pork look darker (thus prettier). So just use them if you already had them on hand.
• The marinate time should be at least 3 hours per side. Or, you can double the amount of the marinate sauce so that the pork can be submerge into the marinate sauce completely, then you can cut the time to half. But it the longer the better.
• Molasses can be replaced by honey, but I do find molasses taste better.