Dong Po BBQ Pork 東坡串燒肉 (dōng pō chuàn shāo ròu) is a dish that I created from the classic Dong Po Pork 東坡肉 (dōng pō ròu). It’s named after its creator, 蘇東坡 (sū dōng pō) who was a poet, a scholar, a court official and a foodie during the Sung Dynasty. I should add that he was outstanding in everything; but he was in exile several times due to his straight-shooting personality. Nonetheless, he was a celebrated hero for his work on the Yellow River floods. Despite his turbulent life, people knew him as the “happy poet”.
Villagers were so grateful to his contributions that they would bring him gifts of pork belly and wine… his favourite things (no wonder he was happy)! He used various seasonings, in particular, Shaoxing wine, to slowly braise the large chunks of pork belly for hours. To prevent the pork belly from breaking apart, he would tie each piece of pork with straw before braising. He then redistributed them back to the villagers. The delicious pieces of pork became the talk of town and they started calling it 東坡肉 Dong Po Pork. This is one of many stories for how this dish was named.
In my Dong Po BBQ Pork 東坡串燒肉 recipe, I wanted to shorten the cooking time and still keep the original flavour. By pan-frying the pork belly, I was able to sweat out some of the pork fat and add a toasty flavour to it. The result was better than I expected! I used ginger beer to help tenderize the pork. So, it’s like a modern twist to an old classic. My mom says she prefers it over the original because it doesn’t taste as fatty. And I like it because it’s much much easier!
The Dong Po BBQ Pork 東坡串燒肉 was equally tasty even the next day. I used the sauce and tossed it in noodles with some julienned cucumbers and green onions. You could even serve it in a hot dog bun. Since it’s almost barbeque season, give your meat an Asian twist with this easy recipe!
Speaking of barbeque, check out my post on Asian BBQ Marinades 燒烤醃料 for my favourite homemade and store bought sauces.
Dong Po BBQ Pork 東坡串燒肉
Ingredients
- 700 g Pork belly , skinless
- 100 ml Ginger beer , ginger ale or any soda you like
- 2 Star anise
- 1 tsp White peppercorn
- 3 slices Ginger
- 6 cloves Garlic , peeled
- 2 Shallots , halved
- 2 stalks Green onions , tied in a knot
- ¼ c Light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp Shaoxing Wine
- 25 g Rock sugar
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 1 tsp Corn starch for slurry
- 2 tbsp Water for slurry
- 1 tsp Salt for soaking pork
- 4 tbsp Honey
Instructions
- Soak pork belly in water with 1 tsp salt. Soak for 15 minutes
Soaking meat in lightly salted water can help to eliminate odors, remove excessive blood that’s on the meat and allow the meat to absorb more of the marinade 
- Prepare ginger, star anise, white peppercorns, garlic, shallots, green onions and rock sugar
- In a sauce pan, on medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp oil and add shallots, ginger and garlic. Fry until aromatic
- Add ¼ c light soy sauce, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, 2 tsp Shaoxing wine, 25 g rock sugar, 2 star anise, 2 stalks green onions and 1 tsp white peppercorns to the sauce pan. Bring to a boil
- Reduce heat to low, cover with a lid and cook for approx. 15 minutes or until shallots are translucent and green onions are soft. Let cool
- Cut the pork into cubes and place into a mixing bowl
Mine are approx. 2cm cubes - Pour 100 ml ginger beer into the mixing bowl
I like using ginger beer to give the pork an additional ginger flavour. It also adds more sweetness and the carbonation helps with tenderizing. 7-Up or Sprite are also good options - Pour the cooled sauce into the mixing bowl. Mix well
- Cover the mixing bowl or put into a zipper bag and let marinate for 4-24 hours
flavours will soak into the meat more if marinating overnight. However, even for 4 hours, the meat comes out quite flavourful and tender - Skewer the meat
- Pour all the marinade into a sauce pan and heat on medium heat until it comes to a boil
- Pour the cooked marinade through a sieve and discard the solids
- Pour the marinade back into the sauce pan. Heat on medium heat. Taste and make adjustments.
Keep in mind that some honey will be brushed on the meat later - Make a slurry with 2 tbsp water and 1 tsp corn starch. Mix well and pour slowly into sauce pan. Stir the sauce until thickened and set aside
- Heat a fry pan on medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp oil onto the pan
Or cook them on a barbeque for even better results - Place skewers onto the pan
- Turn the skewers to brown all 4 sides (approx. 1-2 minutes on each side)
- After browning the last side, brush each skewer with honey and cook until pork is done
- Remove pork from pan and drizzle with sauce. Alternatively, you can also serve the sauce on the side
- Serve on their own or with rice, noodles or bread
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