Villa Sentieri

Chinese Five-Spice Roast Pork

Boneless pork shoulder steaks work well because they contain some fat to keep the meat moist. However, because shoulder steaks contain different muscle groups the texture can change from bite to bite. Well-marbled pork chops with a little fat cap around the edge would work, too. If using bone-in chops, I would use 3 pounds rather than 2 ½ pounds. Be sure to use a good quality five spice powder.

CourseMains, Meats
CuisineChinese, West Indian

Servings	Prep Time
6people	15minutes

Cook Time	Passive Time
20minutes	24hours

Servings	Prep Time
6people	15minutes

Cook Time	Passive Time
20minutes	24hours

Ingredients

2 1/2pounds pork chops or pork shoulder steakcut ¾ inch thick
4teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2teaspoons salt
1/4cup soy sauce
1/3cup rumpreferably dark
1tablespoon Chinese five spice powder
3tablespoons brown sugar

Instructions

Five spice powder
Combine all ingredients except the pork. Mix well.
Boneless pork shoulder steaks
Add the pork and toss to coat with the marinade.
Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for 24 hours if possible. Turn the pork once or twice while marinating.
One hour before cooking the pork, remove it from the marinade and put it in a single layer in a heavy roasting pan.
Allow the pork to come to room temperature for an hour.
Meanwhile, boil the marinade quickly until it is reduced to approximately 4 tablespoons.
Cool the marinade and pour it over the pork.
Preheat the broiler.
Put the pan with the meat approximately 8 inches below the broiler.
Cook the pork, turning once or twice, until just cooked through, 15-20 minutes.
Allow the pork to rest 10 minutes before carving into bite-size pieces.

Recipe Notes

Unlike the brown sugar typically available in the United States, which is a mixture of white sugar and molasses, the brown sugar available in Guyana is actually a less refined sugar, hence the brown color. There’s not enough brown sugar in this recipe to make a difference so feel free to use standard American brown sugar. Closer to what is available in Guyana is this brown sugar packaged for the Korean market that I bought in an Asian grocery store, and this brown sugar that I purchased in Ecuador.