Dinner Rush! Char Siu BBQ Pork + Sesame-Roasted Broccoli

It’s pronounced “shar-see,” and, yes, it’ll change your life. Char siu is a popular Chinese version of barbecued meat, most typically pork nowadays. The tender cut of meat is slow-roasted with a sauce made of hoisin, five-spice powder, soy sauce and Shaoxing wine (a popular Chinese rice wine).

Many of us are familiar with char siu’s knockoff cousin, those boneless pork ribs you get from the Chinese restaurant. They’re a curiously vibrant red color, kind of sticky and taste vaguely meaty. I promise once you’ve tried this version, you’ll be hard-pressed to go back to that white paper carton. This sauce is sweet and savory with an awesome kick from the five-spice powder.

Go ahead, test the waters with this single recipe to make sure you like it. Once you’re hooked, make a double or triple batch of the sauce, then keep it on hand in the fridge for a quick weeknight flavor bomb for anything from cooked meats to simple roasted vegetables.

Char Siu BBQ Pork Chops with Sesame Roasted Broccoli

Total Time: 25 min
Prep: 5 min
Inactive Cook: 10 min
Cook: 10 min
Yield: 4 servings
Level: Easy
For the broccoli:
1 large crown broccoli, cut into florets
1 tablespoon peanut oil or vegetable oil
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
Kosher salt
For the sauce:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons oyster sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons Shaoxing white wine or sherry, optional
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 tablespoon peanut oil or canola oil
4 boneless rib-end pork chops

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Scatter the broccoli on a baking sheet and toss with the peanut oil or vegetable oil. Roast the broccoli, turning occasionally, until lightly charred and tender, about 20 minutes.

While the broccoli is roasting, in a mixing bowl stir together all of the ingredients for the sauce. Reserve.

Place a large saute pan over medium-high heat with the peanut oil or canola oil. Cook the pork until both sides are golden brown but the chop isn’t quite cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Add the sauce to the pan, reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking, turning the chops occasionally, until the meat has cooked through and the sauce has thickened and is darker in color, 3 to 4 minutes.

To serve, toss the warm broccoli with sesame oil, sesame seeds and salt. Serve the chops alongside the broccoli with an extra drizzle of sauce from the pan.

Patrick W. Decker’s life revolves around food. Always has, probably always will. As a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and past member of the culinary teams for Food Network stars Rachael Ray, Sandra Lee, Marc Forgione and Bobby Deen, he now works on digital production for FoodNetwork.com, CookingChannelTV.com and Food.com in NYC by day and develops recipes at his home in New York’s Hudson Valley by night. You can see what he’s up to by following him on Twitter & Instagram at @patrickwdecker or visiting his website at patrickwdecker.com.

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