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Frankie Gaw’s Char Siu
Midwest meets Chinatown meets Maker’s. The perfect(ly unreasonable) sweet-savory char siu you never knew you needed, courtesy of James Beard Award®-winning partner Frankie Gaw.
Preparation Times:
The Night Before: 1 hour
Day-of Prepping & Cooking Time: 70 minutes
Day-of Resting Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes (spanning two days)
Classification: Savory
About this Recipe: Char siu has always been one of those dishes Frankie grew up eating but never thought he’d mess with! But he loves trying unreasonable combinations and he couldn’t help but do his own take on the sweet, sticky, glossy red pork that hangs outside restaurant windows in Chinatown that remind him of home. For this recipe, he wanted to take this food memory and flip it into something a little unreasonable, yet still nostalgic.
The char siu marinade takes the soy sauce and brown sugar that give char siu its deep sweet-savory foundation that he felt would be perfect to layer in whisky-infused brown butter and a hit of allspice. The brown butter pulls out the caramelized edges of the pork while soaking in that smooth vanilla character from Maker’s Mark 46. The allspice adds warmth that echoes the whisky’s tasting notes of baking spices. Together, it transforms into something familiar but new, a rich, layered char siu that tastes like childhood, but has the complexity of vanilla, caramel, and baking spice that make Maker’s Mark 46 so distinct.
Ingredients
Meat
- 3.5 pounds pork shoulder or pork butt
Marinade
- 3 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 5 tbsp Maker's Mark 46 Whisky
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp ground five spice powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar (reduced from 2 tbsp)
- 4 garlic cloves
- 6 scallions, roughly chopped
PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS
The day before the meal: Cut the pork into 2-inch-thick slabs, you should get about 2 to 3 pieces from a single large pork shoulder. Blend all the marinade ingredients together until smooth. Place the meat in one or two plastic bags. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the marinade in a separate container, then pour the remaining marinade over the meat. Seal the bags and give the pork a good massage to help it absorb the flavors. Store the meat and reserved marinade in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 8 hours.
The day of the meal: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the pork on a wire rack set over a sheet pan. Pour water into the bottom of the sheet pan until it reaches about halfway up your fingernail, this helps catch drippings and keeps the meat moist. Roast the pork for a total of 50 minutes, basting with the reserved marinade every 15 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches about 155°F. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes, then slice into thick strips and place on a serving platter. Sprinkle with flaky salt and extra finely chopped scallions to enjoy. To store, seal in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze and enjoy within 4 months.
- SMOOTH FINISH
This one changed the way we think of bourbon, all because one man changed the way he thought about making it. Bill Samuels, Sr., simply wanted a whisky he would enjoy drinking. Never bitter or sharp, Maker's Mark is made with soft red winter wheat, instead of the usual rye, for a one-of-a-kind, full-flavored bourbon. To ensure consistency, we rotate every barrel by hand and age our bourbon to taste, not time. Each and every bottle of Maker's is still hand-dipped in our signature red wax at our distillery in Loretto, KY., just like Bill, Sr. would have wanted.
