Oyster Sauce Roast Pork
Chinese-style roast pork tenderloin marinated in oyster sauce, soy sauce, rice wine, five spice, ginger, and garlic. Roasted at high heat then sliced thin.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
30 minREADY
75 minThis is a home version of Chinese roast pork (char siu-style) using tenderloin instead of the traditional fattier cuts. The marinade is built on oyster sauce and soy sauce, sweetened with sugar, and rounded out with rice wine, fresh ginger, garlic, and five spice powder. Even 30 minutes of marinating gives you flavor, but overnight turns the pork deeply savory.
The two-temperature roasting method is the key technique here. Ten minutes at a blazing 500°F (260°C) sears the outside and starts caramelizing the sugars in the marinade. Then the oven drops to 375°F (190°C) for the remaining 20 minutes to cook the interior through gently without charring the glaze.
A pan of boiling water on the bottom rack creates steam that keeps the meat moist during that initial high-heat blast.
Flatten each piece of tenderloin to about one inch thick before marinating. The thinner profile means faster, more even cooking and more surface area to soak up the marinade.
Chef Tips
- Slice against the grain in thin cross sections for tender bites. Cutting with the grain makes chewy, stringy pieces.
- Brush with reserved marinade when you flip the pork at the 10-minute mark. This builds up the glaze.
- Don’t skip the water pan. Without the steam, the pork dries out fast at 500°F (260°C).
- Leftovers are fantastic diced into fried rice or sliced cold over noodles.
Variations
- Honey glaze: Add a tablespoon of honey to the marinade for a sweeter, stickier char siu glaze.
- Spicy version: Mix a teaspoon of chili garlic sauce into the marinade for heat.
- Pork shoulder: Use boneless pork shoulder for a fattier, more traditional result. Increase cooking time by 10-15 minutes.
Ingredients
Directions
Take each piece of meat and lay it on an end, take a cleaver knife and press down on the meat until it is about 1 inch thick.
Combine remaining ingredients and pour over meat marinade at least 30 min, overnight is better.
Turn oven to 500 degrees F, place a pan of boiling water in the bottom of oven.
Place the drained meat pieces on a cake rack, cook 10 min.
Turn meat over, brush with marinade and turn oven down to 375℉ (190℃) F, continue cooking another 20 min or until pork is done.
Slice in thin cross grain sections, serve with rice, or as an appetizer, leftovers work well in fried rice and egg foo yong.
Comments
