BBQ Pork (义焼)

I haven't made BBQ Pork at home for 40 years because of the easy access to good quality BBQ stores in the city. I used to make it in the 70's with my mom's recipe before the immigration wave from Hong Kong in the 80's brought along with it Hong Kong quality barbeque meats. Now with COVID19, it seems the right time to revive an old recipe with the addition of some ready made sauces.  The ready made sauces are optional, especially for those of you not living in areas with easy access to Chinese grocery stores.  It can taste just as good without them - the key is the type of pork you purchase.

I use "lean" pork butt. The pork butt cut is in itself marbled so just pick the leanest piece you can find. Some people like their BBQ pork with a bit more fat, in which case, pick a fattier piece.  But even the leanest piece of pork butt would have sufficient fat in it to give it just the right texture.

Cut the butt piece lengthwise into strips no more than 2 inches in diameter. Rub the pieces with minced garlic. Create a marinade using 1 tbsp of soy sauce and 2 tbsp dark soy sauce, 3 tbsp rose cooking wine, 1 tbsp mustard and 1 tbsp corn starch (this is for about 2 pounds of meat).  The corn starch is to make the sauce thicker so it will stick to the meat.  Now if you have access to a Chinese grocery, you can add a couple of tablespoons of BBQ Pork sauce and Hoisin suace to enhance the flavour.  You will notice that these sauces have been thickened also so that they can stick to the meat. I prefer less sugar in my meats but if you like your meat sweeter, the original recipe called for 3 tbsp sugar, adjust the amount according to your taste; use brown sugar if possible. Marinade overnight in the fridge.

When ready to cook, brush with honey.  Put on a rack in the baking tray and bake at 300 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes depending on the size of your pieces. Brush with sesame oil when done. Cut into slices for serving. I cooked mine in a steamer oven using the Bake Steam option, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. The steaming kept the meat moist and the baking browned it nicely. This can also be cooked on the barbeque grill on moderate heat. If you've added sugar, watch out in case it burns. 

The cooked bbq pork (unsliced) freezes well. Leftovers are great for lunch!