Had to try Char Siu

  • Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
SMF is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

GaryHibbert

Epic Pitmaster
Original poster
OTBS Member
★ Lifetime Premier ★
There have been so many posts lately on Char Siu, that I just had to try it myself.  I'm not sure if I've even eaten it in a Chinese restaurant or not.  Probably have and just didn't pay any attention to the piece of red pork in my food.

Yesterday, I thawed out some nice 2" thick loin cut pork chops.  Then I mixed up a Char Siu marinade, put the trimmed chops in a gallon zip lock bag, and poured the marinade over them.  


They went into the fridge for an overnight brine.  This afternoon, about 2 o'clock, I drained off the marinade and put the racked chops back in the fridge uncovered to dry off for a couple of hours.  They certainly stand out in a crowd!!
icon_eek.gif



At 4PM I fired up the MES 30, filled the AMNPS with Pitmasters Choice pellets, and lit it up.  Half an hour later, the MES was sitting steady at 240* and the AMNPS was smoking nicely.  So, everybody into the pool.


Well, they've been in for about an hour.  Now its just a waiting game.  I've been having a heck of a time keeping the AMNPS burning.  I went through my usual lighting sequence, but for some reason, I've had to relight it trice.  Guess I'm gonna have to break down and do a mailbox mod in the near future.

More to follow.

Gary
 
  • Like
Reactions: disco
There's something glowing in your smoker! Hope you like them did you use a packet or follow a recipe?
 
When the chops had been in the MES for 1 hour and 25 minutes, the IT finally reached 141--guess I waited 1 degree too long to check.  So I pulled the chops and brought them inside and let them rest under foil for 10 minuted.

b

They sure smelled good.  Looked pretty good too--once you get used to the bright red color.   
huh.gif


So, time for supper.  We plated them up with Jasmin rice and bright green peas--kinda felt almost Christmasy.


I had cut the chops in half before cooking, as they're way too big for one serving.  For some reason, my camera seems to have compensated for the bright red on the outside of the chop.  They were actually cooked to a nice pink medium, and were tender and juicy. Very nicely done.

We both felt somewhat letdown by the final results.  Maybe we were expecting too much, but neither of us felt the chops were near as tasty as we expected.  I also had expected the red coloring to leech further into the meat, rather than be just a coating on the outside.  They had, after all, marinated in the char siu sauce for almost 30 hours.

All in all, it was a good smoke.  The meat was tender, juicy, and tasty.  Just not as vibrant and bold as we had expected.

Did we thoroughly enjoy the Char Siu Pork Chops?  Absolutely.

Will I be doing Char Siu again?  Probably not.  There are hundreds of other things out there just waiting to be smoked.  Time to move on.

Thanks for looking.

Gary
 
Nice lookin meal my friend, I've never tried char siu ! Yours looks real tasty though ! Thumbs Up
 
 
Well, they've been in for about an hour.  Now its just a waiting game.  I've been having a heck of a time keeping the AMNPS burning.  I went through my usual lighting sequence, but for some reason, I've had to relight it trice.  Guess I'm gonna have to break down and do a mailbox mod in the near future.

More to follow.

Gary
Well there is your problem........ with three you get egg-roll, not Char Sui.
 
Nice chops Gary!  You've probably saved me from a char siu attempt.  I might do it anyway because I love the Chinese mustard!  That is some good stuff.

Mike
 
Gary That looks good to me,I like the color,meat looks moist and I'm hungry now. Points

Richie
 
Nice chops Gary!  You've probably saved me from a char siu attempt.  I might do it anyway because I love the Chinese mustard!  That is some good stuff.

Mike


Hey Mike

I think we were just expecting something totally different. That aside, the flavor was great--just didn't jump out and grab you like I thought it would. A lot more subtle than I like.

Gary
 
It sure looked good from here, Gary!

I have been seeing all the Char Siu posts lately too.

Thought I would give it a try as well.

Something to do on a rainy day.

Al
 
Thanks Al.

The char siu is good, just not really what I look for in food.  If you do try it, I would recommend that you slice the meat into thin pieces.  This would allow the marinade to penetrate a lot better.

Gary
 
Looks like a fine meal, too bad it wasn't up to your expectations.

Points for trying something new.

Disco
 
SmokingMeatForums.com is reader supported and as an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.

Latest posts

Hot Threads

Clicky