Chinese Roast Pork on Garlic Bread
- Total Time
- 1¼ hours, plus marinating
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 sandwiches
- 2pounds boneless pork shoulder or butt
- ¼cup honey
- 3tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2tablespoons Shaoxing wine, dry sherry or sake
- 2tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1teaspoon five-spice powder
- 2jarred red fermented bean curd cubes, plus 1 tablespoon of the liquid from the jar (optional)
- 4tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 8garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 4large sub rolls, not too crusty or firm, or Italian- or French-style bread, cut into 4 (6-to-8-inch) sections, split lengthwise
- ½cup apricot jam
- Red- or white-wine vinegar, to taste
- Chinese mustard, for serving
- 1bunch scallions, trimmed and sliced on an angle (about 1 cup), for serving
For the Roast Pork
For the Garlic Bread
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (16 servings)
279 calories; 15 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 21 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 15 grams protein; 298 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Cut the pork into 1-by-4-inch pieces (each about the size of a stick of butter).
- Step 2
Make the marinade: In a large bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, wine, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, five-spice powder and, if using, the bean curd and its liquid. Add the pork, and mix thoroughly, then cover, and refrigerate for a few hours or up to 1 day.
- Step 3
When you’re ready to cook the pork, heat the oven to its highest temperature (not the broil setting). Line a large sheet pan with aluminum foil, and put a metal rack on top. Take the pork out of the marinade, and place it on the rack in an even layer. Reserve remaining marinade.
- Step 4
Slide the pan into the top third of the oven, and roast for 20 minutes. Turn the pieces, and roast until each piece is deeply caramelized on all sides and fall-apart tender, another 20 to 25 minutes, basting with the remaining marinade. (If the pork isn’t as caramelized as you’d like, turn on the broiler to crisp the meat’s exterior, 1 to 2 minutes.)
- Step 5
Turn off the oven, and transfer pork to a cutting board. Let the pork rest for 10 minutes, then slice about half the pieces lengthwise into thin strips about the size of thick-cut bacon. (Reserve the uncut pieces for future use, over rice, in stir-fries, etc.)
- Step 6
Make the garlic bread: Mash together the butter and garlic, and then spread across the sliced sides of the rolls or bread. Place bread directly onto middle rack in the still-hot oven to toast for 3 to 5 minutes. While your bread is toasting, prepare your homemade duck sauce by stirring together the apricot jam with vinegar, to taste.
- Step 7
Assemble the sandwiches: Spread mustard on one side of toasted bread, then duck sauce on the other. Add the sliced roast pork, garnish heavily with sliced scallions and serve.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Jeff Goldner
The rumors that Herbie's was "first" are just not true. Singer's in Liberty (my family's restaurant) served this sandwich long before. For the garlic bread, never butter. We always had minced garlic in oil ready to go. Spread on the "club" bread, under the broiler for maybe a minute. Use bigger pieces of pork, we always used char siu butt, sliced thin by machine, then dipped in master sauce. Sauteed onions. Duck sauce and mustard were always on the table (or in packets, which are gross now).
dona
@jeff goldner Hi Jeff- my family had Eddies Antique Jewelers across the street! we loved the mix of Jewish deli and Chinese foods. Alma the waitress was always there(in fact we visited her at the local nursing home where my grandmother ended up!)And the Boston cream Pie!- the standard for all others my whole life! thank you for having such a wonderful restaurant. Singers & Katz's bakery fed us very well all the years I grew up in South Fallsburg while my mother worked at her parents shop.
Anne
One thing I always do when using marinades is that I cook the marinade on the stove until I have cooked out any bacteria from the raw pork. Then, I use it to baste. Be safe folks!
Adele
I found that using raw garlic can leave a lingering and unpleasant after taste. If you use roasted garlic, you still get the taste of garlic but also a better consistency for spreading it over the bread.
Eric Phillips
Delicious recipe! I agree with Adele's comment. I make a master batch of roasted garlic butter almost every week. Here's how: Roast 2 bulbs garlic (I know you know how). Let cool. Squeeze them out in a small bowl and mash them with whatever masher you have. Add 1 stick soft butter (1/2 cup, 4oz.) and mix it up. Salt and pepper to taste. Store in a tightly sealed container in your fridge. Then use as is, or add Italian seasoning, or any other flavors you want to add in any quantity you need.
elle
without doubt, the sandwich that evokes every Brooklyn kid's childhood. Rather than the apricot jam (which, yes, is delicious) hit your local Chinese Restaurant and ask for a half pint of their fresh duck sauce. H E A V E N.
Joe
This Sifton story and recipe are wonderful. When I saw, "Catskills" I was confused The comments from Jewish writers made me laugh. I have seen Jews eat pork at Chinese restaurants. When I said something, they would put a finger to their lips and shush me. The Jews are perhaps the most successful, literate, erudite tribe of people. If one of them has a pork sandwich once in a while in modern times, it's not a big transgression. I think it a nice slice of Americana.
Josephine
Most people don't believe me when I tell them about this sandwich. It was on every diner menu on Long Island, which includes Brooklyn and Queens as well as Nassau and Suffolk. It was my favorite!
dona
I thought Roast Pork on Garlic bread was invented by Pop-Ins in South Fallsburg, where I grew up! It was always on the menu there throughout the 50/60's. Thanks for the memories!
Maggie
Yes. It's to increase the surface area
Ellen Brown
Rather than the apricot jam and vinegar mixture I used bottled Thai sweet chili sauce and it gave a wonderful kick to the sandwich.
Christophe
Why would I break the pork down into 1in x 4in strips? Doesn't it seem like i'm making the post cook slicing more difficult? Why not into bigger, sturdier pieces? Is it to create more surface area for the marinade and caramelization?
Robert
This recipe's vague temperature guide to "turn your oven all the way up" probably did not contemplate my situation (Wolf oven, 550 degrees). It's a good thing I don't mind carbon with my meat. Ditto with the "toasted" roll. You'll want to monitor things more carefully than I did.
Ellis Weiner
Katz's in Liberty? I was a counselor at Camp Wawayanda for a few years, in the Forstmann State Something Something, and we'd go into town on day's off and get their jelly doughnuts. Huh.
Di Ann
"If you mix soy sauce and hoisin sauce at a 1:1 ratio, the result will be close enough to oyster sauce to get you by." per Bon Appetit magazine
Jim Ball - Chicago
I have a routine that takes this to a new level. Rather than cook at high heat, I sear the marinated pieces in a dutch oven on all sides at about 8 pm. I then put the cover on the dutch oven, turn the oven down to 200, and let it cook all night. I'm up at 6, take it out and let it cool, and stick it in the fridge. At 5 pm, I then slice it. The cooking-then-cooling process makes the otherwise fall apart meat slice much easier and keeps it in slices, and improves the flavor.
Jeff Goldner
One more thing: don't use the junk that comes in the plastic duck sauce packets. There is literally nothing real, just high-fructose corn syrup and food coloring, with more plastic waste which might taste as good as the sauce. I go with Gold's, which is easy to find in grocery stores in the "kosher" section. Huge jar which lasts a long time, real ingredients.
Kate
Didn't make the sandwich, but did make the roast pork for an Asian dish I was making, and it was perfect! Will definitely use this again.
PGC
Fabulous sandwiches, but instructions to "turn your oven all the way up" are problematic, I fear. I turned mine down from 550 to 500 and still had way too much char on the pork with 20 min/side. I'd try 450-475 next time. Also, don't skimp on the Duck sauce and Chinese Mustard! A little Kewpie mayo goes really well as well. My wife was dubious about the marinade with the fermented bean curd, but is a convert now! :-)
colby
What did y’all use if you don’t have bean curd? Thanks!!
Dimmerswitch
Made exactly as written - absent optional bean curd - and so delicious. Would not change a thing. Keeper!
Amanda
I was sadly underwhelmed by this sandwich. Having Chinese and Italian heritage, I was so excited to try this and combine 2 things I love! I think the marinade on the pork doesn’t really shine here, so if you have a splash leftover from basting, heat it through to kill any bacteria and slather that on your finished sandwich in lieu of the mustard, or in addition to it! I’ve never had one of these sandwiches in the wild, but I’d love to try it to get an idea of what it should really be.
LBT
So...I did not make this as described, I’m sure that anyone who has fond memories of this sandwich from their past (or present) would be appalled at what I did. But for anyone else, the sauce made for a lovely Asian flavored pulled pork in the crockpot. It’s a nice change from southwestern or barbecue flavors. (I landed on it because I searched NYT cooking for recipes using fermented bean curd, yum).
V Darkbloom
The oven all the way up at 550 is way too hot. They began to burn even before I flipped them at 20 minutes. I turned it down to 500 after that and still could only keep them in the oven for another 10 minutes before they became almost inedible because of too much char. Might be better to try cooking at like 475.
lkp
See Robert Farrar Capon's Chinese Roast Pork, a NYT Cooking recipe (https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/10099-chinese-roast-pork-char-siu?action=click&module=Global%20Search%20Recipe%20Card&pgType=search&rank=2). His instructions for roasting have you start at 450 for 20 min, then lower to 350 for another 10 min. I haven't cooked Capon's version, but when I made Sifton's a while ago, I kept the oven temp at 450 for 40 min total, and the result was delicious.
David
I found the cut pieces very small and cooked well faster than the recipe. The first time I made this, I followed the instructions and severely burned the pork. The second time, I used a Bluetooth thermometer, cooked to the temp (about half the time) and the meal was great
To Al who ate at Parm
I had the same notion and made a special trip to UWS to try the sandwich at Parm. It wasn’t a version of this sandwich. It was aversion. Not even close. Also not even edible. It was disgusting. Al, make the sandwich yourself. Or seek out one of the dwindling diners that still make this succulent sandwich. As of c. 2015, the Apollo Restaurant and Diner on Merrick Road in East Meadow, LI made a good one. Get the packets of duck sauce, cole slaw and pickle spear for the full experience.
Kim
Me and my wife made this for a sunday night meal. One of the best sandwiches I've ever had! The sweetness, tartness, butter, and other favors creates an amazing flavor that I'll never forget. Five stars all the way.
SS
3rd time I made with pork tenderloin. Not quite quite as moist which is expected but in the sandwich or fried rice, still very delicious.
SS
Made this twice and it’s delicious. Can even freeze cooked pork. Second time used country style ribs which is more convenient than cutting up a roast. 450-480 on temp and less time. No one has mentioned this but 1 jar of fermented tofu gives plenty of flavor.
lkp
Thanks for the tip about using country-style ribs. Pretty sure Sam means 2 cubes of jarred red fermented bean curd, not 2 jars of cubes. My jar of "chili oil beancurd" weighs over 8 oz.--adding the entire jar would alter the flavor of the roasted pork drastically (and not in a pleasant way). Maybe your jar is smaller?
stacey
This was a fun sandwich to prepare and eat after reading all the posted recollections. I used half the five spice as I’m not a big fan. I left meat in marinate overnight. Made garlic butter by baking garlic first as recommended. Thankful I lined my baking sheet with foil. I toasted ciabatta rolls which made great base. Next time I will definitely try simply using country style ribs. Would be easier to have the meat already cut up.
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