Paleo Chinese Barbecued Pork

Knowing how succulent Chinese Barbecued Pork (A.K.A Char Siu) taste, but also at how "unhealthy" it can be, I decided to create a "healthier" Paleo Chinese Barbecued Pork recipe.  Simple ingredients and only a little "hand-on" time making this recipe perfect for any level of cook.  Sticky, crispy Chinese BBQ pork can now be enjoyed even when following a Paleo or Whole30 lifestyle!

Although I have never been to China, if you go to any Chinatown in the US or in Canada, you are bound to find strips of charred meat hanging in storefronts, trying to entice you to come and see their array of food selections.

Known as Char Siu in China, traditional Chinese Barbecued Pork call for cutting the meat into long thin slices and hanging the strips on metal rods that are then placed in large stand-up ovens.

As you all know, I love to be creative but there was NO WAY Mr. Grumbles was going to be on board with attempting to hand meat from the top of the oven.

 

 

So, I resorted to option #2 which is to use my Weeknight Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas principle.

By placing thin strips of meat on a metal rack sitting over a sheet pan, I knew I could get both sides of the meat to be cooked evenly.

Then, by following a recipe in Cook's Illustrated (which is BY FAR my absolute favourite cooking magazine), I figured out a way of converting some of the ingredients to paleo-approved.

 

 

 

 

What ingredients are called for in traditional Chinese Barbecued Pork?

• boneless pork butt
• white sugar
• soy sauce
• hoisin sauce
• dry sherry
• white pepper
• five-spice powder
• sesame oil
• grated ginger
• garlic
• ketchup
• honey

 

 

What ingredients did I convert to become Paleo-approved?

• Coconut sugar replaced the white sugar and I also decreased the amount in half (use date paste to keep it Whole30 approved)
• Coconut Aminos replaced the soy sauce
• Date Paste replaced the hoisin sauce
• Although sherry is a wine derivative, I do not drink it and therefore do not have any in my house.  I simply replaced the sherry with white wine.
• Who has white pepper?!  I certainly don't so I simply replaced it with black pepper
• I used Primal Ketchup which is Whole30 and Paleo approved

 

 

Can I make my own ketchup and hoisin sauce?

Although I have not wanted to or had the time to make either of these, I did do some research and found that quite a few sites have recipes for both of these ingredients.

For the Hoisin Sauce check out:

• NomNom Paleo
• Irena Macri
• Paleo Table

As for the Ketchup, here are some options:

• 40 Aprons
• What Great Grandma Ate
• Against All Grain

 

 

Can I use a bone-in pork butt for this Paleo Chinese Barbecued Pork recipe?

Yes, you can but you will need to remove the bone.

Here is what I learned from Cook's Illustrated:

• To remove the bone, position the meat with the fat cap facing up and the visible part of the bone-facing you.
• Insert knife just above the bone and with short sweeping strokes, follow the contour of the bone to separate the meat.
• Once the meat has been separated on the top side, flip the pork butt over and repeat with the other side until the bone is completely detached and can be easily removed with your hand.

 

 

 

How do you make Paleo Chinese Barbecued Pork?

 

Marinate the pork

• slice the pork into even sections
• poke each section of pork using a fork
• prepare the marinade
• pour all but ½ cup of the marinade over the pork
• place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes but longer (up to 4 hours) is preferred

Make the glaze

• in a small saucepan over medium heat, add the ketchup, honey and reserved marinade
• cook the glaze until syrupy and reduced to 1 cup (about 4-6 minutes)

Grill the pork

• place oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees F.
• line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set a wire rack on top of it.
• remove pork from marinade, allowing any excess marinade to drip off and place on a baking rack
• pour ¼ cup of water into the bottom of the pan
• cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil
• cook pork for 20 minutes, remove foil and continue to cook the pork until the edges begin to brown, about 35 -45 minutes (depending on how big your pieces are)
• Turn on broiler and broil until pork begins to caramelize (about 7-9 minutes)
• remove the pan from the oven and brush with glaze.
• broil again for 3-5 minutes. 
• remove from the oven, flip the pork over,  and broil the other side for 7-9 minutes 
• add the glaze and broil again for 3-5 minutes.
• cool for 10 minutes and slice into thin strips.

 

 

If you like this Paleo Chinese Barbecued Pork recipe, you may also enjoy:

• 5-Spice Ginger Pulled Pork
• Whole30 Kung Pao Chicken- Keto, Gluten-Free and Paleo
• Easy Whole30 Cashew Chicken
• Whole30 Chicken Lo Mein (Keto, Paleo)
• 10 Minute Beef and Broccoli (Whole30, Low Carb, Keto)
• Asian Chicken and Noodle Salad (Whole30, Keto, Paleo, Healthy)

 

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