This is the first time we have ever cooked with Chinese 5-spice and I have to say, it is one of the best smelling meals we've made...it is 10:15 at night and I am now hungry just thinking about it. I actually got this recipe out of a Williams-Sonoma catalog. I can't afford to buy anything there, but they do have good recipes every once in a while. They offer 'technique' classes for free in their stores as well, but I have never gone. It seems like it would be worth checking out. Oh, and I also recently signed up for their Sous Chef Series which highlights a chef, gives you a recipe, and invites you to the store to see someone demonstrate the recipe. Once again, I've never done anything with it, but it's the idea that counts, right? Check it out: http://www.souschefseries.com/
Makes approx 6 servings
Ingredients
4 tsp Chinese five spice
1 Tbs salt
3/4 tsp ground pepper
3 to 4 lb boneless pork shoulder, cut into 10 large pieces (trim the fat off a bit if there is a lot)
1 1/2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3/4 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
3/4 Tbs minced garlic
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce, plus more for serving
1 Tbs Sriracha chili sauce, plus more for serving
3/4 to 1 cup chicken broth
Butter lettuce leaves
Steamed white rice
Thinly sliced green onions
Cilantro leaves
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Combine the Chinese five spice, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the mixture evenly on the pieces of pork.
Heat 1 Tbs of the oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the pork and brown on all sides (6 to 8 minutes total). Transfer pork to a large bowl.
Reduce the heat to medium and heat the remaining 1/2 Tbs of oil. Add the diced yellow onion, stirring occasionally, until softened (about 5 minutes). Add the ginger and garlic, stirring frequently for about a minute. Add the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Sriracha and the broth...bring to a simmer. Return the pork to the pot. Cover the pot, transfer to the oven and bake, turning the pork occasionally for about 2 3/4 hours.
Skim the fat off the sauce. Using tongs and a fork, pull the pork apart into large chunks. Serve with lettuce leaves, steamed rice, green onions, cilantro, hoisin sauce and chili sauce.
Big Delicious Tips
1. You can buy the Chinese 5-spice relatively cheaply at Central Market in their bulk spice section
2. I removed the pork from the sauce after it was cooked, pulled the pork apart in a separate bowl, and then just added in a few spoonfuls of juice if it needed it. I think this helped keep some of the grease out. This also gives you a chance to thicken the sauce if needed by cooking it a little longer to reduce it a bit.
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