Yes, I'm a Martin Yan Groupie

I never considered making my own Chinese BBQ pork because I could just run to the Chinese restaurant down the street and order them for $3.95. Truthfully though, I’ve always worried the result would be dry and chewy. I love the flavor of country style pork ribs (or shoulder, or butt), but am very skeptical of recipes that don’t call for braising…for hours.

Of course when I saw Martin Yan’s recipe, I decided to give it a try. The recipe is very easy and tasty. To ensure success, I decided to marinate the pork in soda for a few hours (8 to be exact), but this is completely optional. I also cooked them on the grill instead of in the oven, and the results were very good.

Chinese BBQ Pork

• 1/3 cup sugar
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup hoisin sauce
• 2 tbs honey
• 2 tbs Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 tbs sesame paste (or tahini)
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• 2 to 2 ½ lbs country style pork ribs
• 12oz can regular or diet lemon-lime soda

Optional: Marinate the pork in the soda for 4-8 hours in the fridge. Drain well before adding the next marinade.

In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, honey, rice wine, sesame paste, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, salt, black pepper, five-spice powder. Pour the marinade over the pork in a large Ziploc bag and refrigerate at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight. A half hour to an hour before grilling, take the meat out of the fridge to take the chill off. Remove the meat from the marinade (discard the marinade) and grill it over direct heat (watch carefully to stop flare-ups because the sugar in the marinade will burn very quickly). Delicious served with Dan Dan noodles (see recipe below).

Alternatively, cook the pork in a 350 degree oven, on a rack over a drip pan. Use the marinade to baste the meat. After 30 minutes turn the meat and continue to cook until cooked through and tender (45 minutes or more). Braise occasionally with the marinade. If you decide to use this method, let me know how it turns out.

I’ve made these noodles a couple of times. The first time, I followed the recipe to the T and loved the way it turned out. However, hubby is not wild about peanut butter, and likes things a little saltier. So I reduced the amount of peanut butter, added more soy sauce, and more honey to round out the taste a little. I added the spinach simply because I had them on hand. The result still tasted great. Serve these noodles with grilled meat or steamed/fresh veggies.

Dan Dan noodles

• ¼ cup + 2 tbs water
• 1 tbs creamy peanut butter
• 2 tbs Chinese sesame paste (or tahini)
• 1 tbs Chinese black vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)
• 2-3 tbs soy sauce
• 1 tbs minced garlic
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbs honey or sugar
• 1 tsp dried chili flakes
• 1 lb fresh Chinese egg noodles (or dried linguine or fettuccine)
• 1 bunch spinach, cleaned well and roughly chopped
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal for garnish
• 1 tbs chopped roasted peanuts for garnish

In a medium saucepan, combine the water, peanut butter, sesame paste, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, honey and chili flakes. Heat until the sauce is hot and uniform. Set aside until ready to use.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. If you are using fresh noodles, they won’t take more than 2 or 3 minutes to cook. If you’re using dried pasta, cook according to the package directions. Just before draining the noodles, add the chopped spinach to wilt them. Return the noodles with spinach to the pot. Add the sauce and stir well to combine. Serve on a large platter, garnished with the green onions and peanuts.