My Char Siu

[mneeley490]

I went the NOH route a couple of times, but I think scratch is better. I checked out the various recipes here, borrowed some from here and there, and I think I now have one that's pretty good, easy, and pretty close to what I can get in our local Chinatown.

Char Siu

1/4 c. soy sauce

1/4 c. Yoshida's Gourmet sauce

1/2 c. mirin

1/2 c. Hoisin sauce

1/2 c. brown sugar

4 T. maltose

1 T. honey or agave syrup

1 t. minced garlic

1 T. grated fresh ginger, or 1 t. powdered ginger, or 3-4 slices of candied ginger

1/4-1/2 t. Five Spice powder (depends on your taste)

1/2 t. sesame oil

1 t. red food coloring (I like it RED) but this is optional

1/2 pork loin, sliced into long 2-1/2" x 2-1/2 strips, or 4-6 pork tenderloin.

Recipe updated 5-28-16

Heat all ingredients in a saucepan till maltose dissolves. (You will need to heat it just to get the maltose off your spoon. It is insanely sticky, almost like a malleable plastic, but don't substitute anything for it. Like someone else here mentioned, it is the glue that adheres the sauce to the meat.) 

If using pork loin, make sure to remove all silverskin from the meat. I remove the fat also, but that is a personal preference.

Cool, and pour over meat in large ziploc bag. Let rest in refrigerator overnight, or up to 3-4 days.

Makes about 2-1/4 cups.

You can cook this low and slow, or quickly--indirect on a 350°-400° grill to an IT of 145° for the loin or tenderloin. This also gives it a nice char that you don't get low and slow. If cooking in an oven, you can broil for the last couple minutes.

I also like to slip in one small piece of smoking wood. I can't help it. Either sugar maple or peach. But that is non-traditional, and certainly

optional.

Marinated for 3 days and ready for the grill.



Done!

 

[mneeley490]

I tried to approximate the char siu that I get for takeout in Seattle's Chinatown, or as it's known now, the International district.

Many places go overboard on the Chinese 5 spice, IMO, and it tends to overpower the other flavors. That's why I use so little in my version. But there is one place I go to in particular, where the pitmaster(?) looks over 80 years old, and you can taste every year of his experience in his BBQ pork, roast pork, chicken, and duck.

 

[cab2g]

Do you know what's in "Yoshida's gourmet sauce"? That looks pretty tasty

 

[smokinhusker]

Oh wow that's looks delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

 

[mneeley490]

I think Yoshida's Gourmet sauce is a nation-wide brand. You can probably find it just about anywhere. Distributed by Heinz, Pittsburgh, PA.

Ok, you forced me to read the back of the bottle. And darned if it doesn't appear to have a lot of the same things as the char siu recipe. Soy sauce, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, mirin, water, dehydrated garlic spice, etc. I guess if you were in a pinch, you could use more of this if you want to.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Nice Job. I don't recall seeing a recipe using Maltose, can you post a link. The rest looks familiar...JJ

 

[mneeley490]

Yes, I freely admited I borrowed heavily from others here, and yours, Chef JimmyJ, is pretty good. But I still couldn't match the local takeout experience I was going for, so I juggled some of the ingredients around and I think I got pretty close. I didn't mean to step on anyone's toes.  Here is the link where I found another forumite, JustPassingThru, using maltose:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...ili-rubbed-pork-top-sirloin-roast-with-q-view

 

[chef jimmyj]

Yes, I freely admited I borrowed heavily from others here, and yours, Chef JimmyJ, is pretty good. But I still couldn't match the local takeout experience I was going for, so I juggled some of the ingredients around and I think I got pretty close. I didn't mean to step on anyone's toes.  Here is the link where I found another forumite, JustPassingThru, using maltose:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...ili-rubbed-pork-top-sirloin-roast-with-q-view

 Oh wait...I'm not making accusations. I post my recipes FOR you guys to enjoy! I get my thrills when I get a comment that this or that was awesome. I'm proud when one of you use and/or modify one of mine. I was just honestly curious about the Maltose, if it works as a sauce binder I am very interested in the possibilities.

You surely have not stepped on my toes. I have no Secret Recipes...If it's good, Y'all get it...

...JJ

 

[mneeley490]

Thanks Chef JimmyJ, no worries. Your recipes are still tops! I can't get enough of that Au Jus! I could pour it in a mug and drink it!

I think I can honestly say that maltose is the strangest food I've ever worked with. It's like an extremely stiff or unheated fiberglass resin. If you press a spoon down on top of it without breaking the surface, it acts like Silly Putty. But once you break the tough surface, it's more like cold tar. It's almost hard to believe it's a food product. It is not as sweet corn syrup or sugar, but it definately adds some sweetness, and works as a thickening agent here once it's thinned out and incorporated into the sauce.  And it's pretty cheap. I bought about a 10 oz. jar in an Asian market for around $2.50.

 

[goldxp]

I went the NOH route a couple of times, but I think scratch is better. I checked out the various recipes here, borrowed some from here and there, and I think I now have one that's pretty good, easy, and pretty close to what I can get in our local Chinatown.

Char Siu

1/4 c. soy sauce

1/4 c. Yoshida's Gourmet sauce

1/2 c. mirin

1/2 c. Hoisin sauce

1/2 c. brown sugar

4 T. maltose

1 T. honey or agave syrup

1 t. minced garlic

1 T. grated fresh ginger, or 1 t. powdered ginger, or 3-4 slices of candied ginger

1/4-1/2 t. Five Spice powder (depends on your taste)

1/2 t. sesame oil

1 t. red food coloring (I like it RED) but this is optional

1/2 pork loin, sliced into long 2-1/2" x 2-1/2 strips, or 4-6 pork tenderloin.

Recipe updated 5-28-16

Heat all ingredients in a saucepan till maltose dissolves. (You will need to heat it just to get the maltose off your spoon. It is insanely sticky, almost like a malleable plastic, but don't substitute anything for it. Like someone else here mentioned, it is the glue that adheres the sauce to the meat.)

If using pork loin, make sure to remove all silverskin from the meat. I remove the fat also, but that is a personal preference.

Cool, and pour over meat in large ziploc bag. Let rest in refrigerator overnight, or up to 3-4 days.

Makes about 2-1/4 cups.

You can cook this low and slow, or quickly--indirect on a 350°-400° grill to an IT of 145° for the loin or tenderloin. This also gives it a nice char that you don't get low and slow. If cooking in an oven, you can broil for the last couple minutes.

I also like to slip in one small piece of smoking wood. I can't help it. Either sugar maple or peach. But that is non-traditional, and certainly

optional.

Marinated for 3 days and ready for the grill.



Done!

My god! Thank you for the recipe, I made some tweaks because I didn't have all the ingredients, but should be amazing nonetheless. Will try your recipe line by line once I can find maltose!

 

[chef jimmyj]

The recipe is similar to mine, with a few additions I would like to try, Yoshida's being one. The result looks great. As i research further I'm finding there are other methods that don't use Hoisin. Im looking to pick up additional Chinese ingredients to play with. A Red Fermented Tofu is one ingredient that keeps showing up...JJ

 

[808smokes]

Yoshida’s is a staple in a Hawaii kitchen. I especially like it on tri-tip and then grilled slow.