I’ve always liked Chinese food, possibility because of its saltiness, with ingredients such as Hoisin, soy and oyster-flavored sauce. When my husband and I go out for Chinese food we often, as an appetizer, share an order of barbecue spare ribs. Some restaurants offer meaty ones, other times their selection  seems “painted” with red food coloring, and taste-wise they’re tough, stringy, plus  too fatty. But, unless they taste terrible, I dunk them in a plate of sweet and sour sauce and/or a tad of soy sauce and I’ll make do.

This idea brings me back to pork shoulder.  Although not strictly Chinese, this recipe leans some in that direction, when I use Teriyaki sauce.  The dark coloring, as you can see, gives a  nod also to barbecue. With soy sauce, ginger, (mirin – sweet cooking rice vinegar), and soy beans, we all know that  we’re in for a hint of Asian cooking. I’m pleased that I added the Teriyaki, it was the one ingredient which added nuance  complexity and carmelization as these ingredients mingled.

Initially I was going to make common, although delicious, pulled pork, but my 6 pound piece of meat was way to large to fit in my 5 quart slow-cooker.  I simply cut about 2 lbs off for this smaller piece of meat, and searched the internet for a simple recipe, but too added the Teriyaki to boost its flavor, plus tweaked the initial recipe to make it more tasty. (With the other four pounds, I put it in the slow-cooker with cider vinegar, barbecue sauce, onions and water and I used a  star anise really for the first time, along with some spices.) I realized after this that I do not like the flavor of star anise!

I’d love to hear from readers about your favorite barbecue sauce for  Asian, Mexican or an all-around sauce you might use for fish, pork, chicken or meat? Do you make your own, or buy a good-flavored store-bought one?

With this recipe, I could have added several more ingredients, but I wanted to keep it simple and easy.  It gets high marks from my family! On a cooking site I’m apart of I’ve received  over 130 “likes” because the shiny picture appears succulent and so  eye-catching!

 

INGREDIENTS

1   2-3 lb. piece of boneless pork shoulder, trimmed some of visible fat

3-5 garlic cloves, minced

4 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tsp. Teriyaki sauce

2-3 Tbsp. salt

2 Tsp. pepper, or to taste

 

PROCESS

1    Initially, let the  piece of meat reach room temperature, then pat it  dry with paper towels.  Set your oven to 400. Have ready a 9 x 13 pan and  spray it with a cooking oil.

2    In a medium bowl mix  together  the above ingredients, but not the pork. Put the roast in the pan, and then rub  the mixture all over the roast, turning it  to do the same process to the other-side.

3    Put the roast in the oven and cook it for 30 minutes. Half way through the 30 minutes, baste the roast with some of the sauce that has dropped off to the sides. Finish cooking the 30 minutes, lower the temperature to 325 and cook about another 2 hours, or until the thermometer registers 140-145.  Baste it several times.  Take the roast out of the oven at 140 degrees so it rests on the counter (10-15 minutes) as it cooks further.

4  Slice and enjoy with a heaping mound of mashed potatoes, and mop up any sauce on the side with crusty  bread.

 

• Squeeze a half lemon in the mixture.
• For  deeper flavor, leave the mixture/rub  on the roast for a few hours before cooking. Keep the roast in the refrigerator while doing this  and then let it come to room temperature before placing it in the oven.
• In the mixture/rub, add a few chopped scallions for a touch of an onion y flavor.
• If you like spice, add a half teaspoon, or more of cayenne pepper to the mixture.
• For the last half hour to one hour of cooking, sprinkle on  assorted dry herbs, such as thyme, oregano, dill, basil and others  that you may like. Use about a half teaspoon each.  Do not overdo it, use them judiciously.