POT ROASTED PORK WITH SHANGHAI FIVE SPICE MARINADE (for six)

a 3 pound boneless Boston butt pork roast

For the marinade:

1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic

1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry

2 tablespoons five-spice powder

1-1/2 tablespoons chili bean sauce or paste

1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil

2 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

For the pork roast:

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

6 whole scallions

three 2 inch slices fresh ginger

2 cloves unpeeled garlic

3 tablespoons honey

salt and pepper to taste

½ cup Shaoxing wine

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1.  Mix the marinade ingredients together, put pork in a resealable plastic bag or place in a glass ceramic dish, and pour marinade over, turning to coat it completely with the marinade.  Seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible, or cover dish tightly in plastic wrap.  Marinate, refrigerated, overnight.

2.  Put a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400*.

3.  Remove the pork from the marinade pat it dry with paper towels.  Reserve the marinade by pouring it through a fine mesh sieve into a small saucepan.  Heat the oil in a heavy, ovenproof casserole just large enough to hold the pork until it is almost smoking, and brown the pork on all sides.  This will take about 10 minutes.  Remove the pork to a side dish.

4.  Pour all but 2 spoonfuls of fat out of the casserole.  (If fat has burned, throw it all out and add more oil).  Stir in the scallions, ginger, and garlic and place meat in the casserole, fattiest side up.  Paint pork with honey and season with salt and pepper.  Cover casserole, heat it until the meat is sizzling, place it in the lower third of the preheated oven and immediately turn the heat down to 325*.  Roast for about 2 hours, or until a meat thermometer reads 180* to 185*.  Baste the roast 2 or 3 times during the cooking with the juices and regulate oven heat so that the pork cooks slowly and evenly.  The pork and vegetables will render about 1 cup of juices as they cook.

5.  While pork is roasting, boil the reserved marinade until it is reduced to 1/3 cup, about 5 minutes.  When the pork is done, place it on a hot serving platter and discard trussing strings.

6.  Pour the wine into the casserole and simmer slowly for 2 to 3 minutes.  Then tilt the casserole and skim out all but a tablespoon or two of fat.  Mash the vegetables into the juices add the reserved marinade and boil rapidly until you have about 1 cup.  Strain into a hot gravy boat and serve with the sliced pork.

adapted (so many major changes it’s really not the same recipe) from Ken Hom, Easy Recipes from a Chinese-American Childhood