Cooking with Kenric! Local-Style Chinese Roast Pork

pork shoulder

🥗Healthier: chicken thighs

💰Cheaper: pork loin

Chicken thighs reduce fat while still providing flavor.

soy sauce

🥗Healthier: tamari

💰Cheaper: liquid aminos

Tamari is gluten-free and similar in taste.

hoisin sauce

🥗Healthier: plum sauce

💰Cheaper: sweet soy sauce

Plum sauce offers a similar sweetness.

five-spice powder

🥗Healthier: cinnamon and nutmeg

💰Cheaper: mixed spices

Cinnamon and nutmeg mimic the warm flavors.

Select a roast pork that has skin on, with even thickness throughout.

Make four slits in the side of the roast pork and insert halved cloves of garlic into each slit.

Coat the meat side of the roast pork with five spice, ensuring it is fully covered.

Prepare a boiling pan with a rack on top and fill it with half an inch to an inch of water to prevent drying out during cooking.

Turn the roast pork over so the skin side is facing up.

Coat the skin side of the roast pork completely with salt to help achieve crispy skin during cooking.

Place the roast pork in the oven uncovered on the lower third rack at 350°F and bake for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, remove the roast pork from the oven; the salt should have crusted on top.

Remove the salt crust from the roast pork; the skin should still be soft but the water has been drawn out.

Return the roast pork to the oven at 465°F for 40 to 45 minutes to achieve a crispy skin.

Once done, remove the roast pork from the oven; it should have a nice char on top and be ready to cut.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens