Roast Pork

Ingredients

• 4 pounds boneless pork butt (shoulder), neither too fat nor too lean
• 2 green onions, trimmed, cut into 1-inch lengths
• 3 thin slices peeled fresh ginger
• ½ cup soy sauce
• ½ cup dry sherry
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• ½ cup five-flavored spice powder
• 1 cup hoisin sauce

6 servings

Preparation

1. Cut meat with the grain into 2-inch-by-1-inch slices as long as the shoulder. Combine 2 cups water, onions, ginger, soy sauce, sherry and sugar in a deep 3 1/2-quart saucepan and stir to dissolve sugar. Add pork; stir to coat. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat (do not stir) for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat; let steep until liquid is cool, about 1 hour. Drain the pork in a colander and pat dry with paper towels.
2. If you have a top broiler, arrange oven racks in top third and lowest parts of oven and preheat the broiler to medium. Or place a rack in the middle and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a roasting pan with foil and top with a rack.
3. Rub meat with five-spice powder, then with hoisin, and place on a rack over the roasting pan. Broil slices on the top rack for 10 minutes and then switch to the bottom rack for 5 to 10 minutes (or roast on middle rack for 20 to 30 minutes), until glaze is slightly crispy and meat is cooked through, turning the pieces every 5 to 10 minutes. Do not burn the glaze! Serve at room temperature with plum sauce and hot English mustard.

1 hour 45 minutes